10 Movies That Did Crazy Things When They Ran Out Of Money

Robert Rodriguez wrote the book on how to produce an ultra-low-budget movie - quite literally, he chronicled the production of his filmmaking debut El Mariachi in the much-loved 1992 tome "Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player."

Indeed, Rodriguez produced his indie Western for barely $7,000 - much of which he raised by participating in experimental drug trials - using every corner-cutting trick possible to ensure he didn't run over-budget, because he literally had no other option.

Rodriguez borrowed a 16mm camera, shot every scene in just one or two takes, edited on video to save money, used real guns because he couldn't afford prop ones, and had his cast double as crew members.

The budget was so razor-thin that, if the maximum two takes of a single setup were blown by mistakes, he would simply incorporate the goofs into the story or cut to the next setup as soon as possible - hence the film's oft-choppy editing style.

And yet despite being so blatantly held together with duct tape and a sheer can-do spirit, El Mariachi's feverish charm and energy endeared it to critics and indie film fans, launching Rodriguez's Hollywood career in the process.