10 Directors Who Went To Insane Lengths To Get Their Movies Made

When Robert Rodriguez prepped for his first feature, El Mariachi, he knew he didn't have the money to pay a big, fancy crew. To hire as few people as possible, Rodriguez basically became a one-man crew, serving as the film's director, producer, writer, cinematographer, and, editor.

Because of Rodriguez' frugality, he brought the budget down to $7,000. However, he was only able to raise $4,000. To get the rest of the cash, Rodriguez volunteered as a lab rat at a facility in Austin, Texas. For one month, he had to take a cholesterol-reducing drug while sealed in an isolated room. To stay proactive, Rodriguez spent most of his days writing the script for El Mariachi.

After his trial concluded, the pharmacy gave him the $3,000 he needed, allowing him to begin production on his first film. In hindsight, it was all worth it since El Mariachi was a success and launched Rodriguez's career. To this day, the director still bears two scars on his arm from his trial as a permanent reminder of what he suffered to break into Hollywood.