Before I Was There Were

Born Robert Anthony Rodriguez, June 20, 1968, in San Antonio, TX; son of Cecilio (a cookware sales manager) and Rebecca (a nurse) Rodriguez; married Elizabeth Avellan, c. 1991; children: Rocket Valentino, Racer Maximiliano, Rebel Antonio. Education: University of Texas at Austin, B.A. Taking do-it-yourself methods to inspiring extremes, Robert Rodriguez helped revolutionize low-budget filmmaking with El Mariachi (1992) before ultimately recalibrating the notion of independence as a one-man writer, director, producer, editor, composer, and special effects man. With El Mariachi Rodriguez used invention to surmount seeming limitations; ironically the limitations of the story hampered that film’s big-budget remake Desperado (1995). On Four Rooms (1995) Rodriguez worked with Quentin Tarantino; he then filmed a Tarantino script, From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

A rote Hollywood science-fiction movie, The Faculty (1998), sent Rodriguez in the other direction, making films fit for kids, including his own, beginning with Spy Kids (2001), and its three sequels. Rodriguez then set up shop in Texas at his own studio-ranch production company, working on Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), a film that served as a testing ground for the aptly named Troblemaker Studios. His next project, the dark comicbook adaptation Sin City (2005), was Rodriguez’s most ambitious film to date. Shot digitally and made free from Hollywood interference, Sin City created an almost entirely computer-designed, special-effects world that allowed shooting on a shoestring budget around the busy schedule of the famous cast. Rodriguez also famously dropped out of the Directors Guild of America because the organization refused permission for comic-book artist and Sin City creator Frank Miller to have a co-directing credit. Another kids movie, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D (2005), followed before Rodriguez started work on another Tarantino collaboration, Grindhouse (2007), an homage to the trashy genre films they devoured while growing up.

Overview of Robert Rodriguez’s 10 minute film school:
Robert Rodriguez’s 10 minute film school teaches amateur film makers ways on how to create a professional looking, low budget film. He gives his students tips, tricks and techniques on the subject. Some of his tips are: ●Never spend too much money on your film and learn to be resourceful with the things around you ●Be as creative and technical ●A mistake for you may be art for someone else ●DO NOT USE FILM! ●Be conscious about lighting ●Zoom in to people’s faces during dialog scenes ●Experiment with shots to see which shot looks best ●You are a film maker