Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

When I read "Rebel Without a Crew" as an undergrad, it dissolved so many myths about the barriers to filmmaking for me and revealed a maverick kind of approach to making films that wasn't romanticized. Creativity is important, yes, but creative problem solving and the importance of craft, ingenuity, dedication, and determination were all emphasized as important for a filmmaker to have. Many of the lessons Rodriguez learned in his process of making his first feature film I have applied in much of my career as a filmmaker and in the academy as well -- The importance of working within limitations and viewing them not solely as obstacles but as opportunities for innovation and embracing the reality of circumstances, including mistakes that might be made, were key take aways. Rodriguez emphasizes that to be a filmmaker you need to actually make films, and the encouragement to create without waiting for permission resonated deeply with me early on in my career, and still does today. The book inspired me to pursue filmmaking as my creative discipline, but also helped equip me with a mindset to plan carefully, embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and continually strive for excellence.