Robert Rodriguez: Genius or a Hack?

He cannot be considered a hack because he does everything on his own terms
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Maybe the question is the definition of "hack".

Hmmmmm....

There is is in Webster's black and white:

a person, as an artist or writer, who exploits, for money, his or her creative ability or training in the production of dull, unimaginative, and trite work; one who produces banal and mediocre work in the hope of gaining commercial success in the arts: As a painter, he was little more than a hack.
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That follows what you said. I guess I thought of it more in terms of output as opposed to motivation.

To me, and I guess incorrectly, a "hack" has always been someone turning out mediocre to below average work for any reason, not necessarily commercial.

Or worse, someone who could not do better than mediocre work no matter the circumstance,

Given yours and the dictionary's definition - definitely not a hack.

I guess.

-GageFX
 
On... this subject (which is a fine line on the rules) I believe EVERYONE should respect each other how they would want to be respected! No egos, no arrogance... humility and respect. This will lead to a peaceful society.
 
Going to the gym to box. Hope to see things here when I get back. Not planning on it, though.

-GageFX
 
Somehow threads always digress from the original topic. I think it usually happens between pages two and three.
 
the guy has his own little LucasFilm in austin. he makes what he wants, when he wants it. genius? i don't personally think so. but when he got his first big paycheck, he was obviously smart enough to re-invest the money in his future. and look at him now. his resources make him the envy of every last one of us.
 
i had a tough time reading this word. just staring at it but unable to pronounce it. inspy--, inspeer--. i don't even know why i'm posting this.
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Shame on yu to breeng up bad speling, evry one doos it once in awile. Jeezus.
 
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I am a big fan of RR's, but not because I think his films are brilliant. Even Sin City and Desperado, two moderately bugeted movies (60M and 7M, respectively) are really rough in their assembly. I watch Desperado and want nothing more than a couple of days alone with the raw footage to make changes in the edits.

But the man is inspirational--mostily in that he knows exactly who he is. He's not Orson Wells (who also did just about everything himself on his films), but he's no Michael Bay, either--even though his films appeal to much the same demographic. (Appologies to any Michael Bay fans out there; I don't want to start any fights here). Watching El Mariachi with the director's commentary was one of the most enlightening things I have done, not just regarding filmmaking, but also, to some degree, life. He spends the entire time pointing out errors he made and the corners he had to cut. It was very heartening to me knowing that as long as my core story is good, people will forgive a lot.

In order to fully appreciate El Mariachi, I think it's important to remember that it was one of the first products of the "camcorder" generation. Before that, nobody thought that a feature film could be made for that small amount of money--even a bad film. Now $7,000 seems like a healthy budget for what we could do with an HVX--or even a DVX. It's also important to know that of that seven grand, he spend $6,500 of in on film and developing--costs we avoid by going digital (not to mention the increasingly frequent independent film programs run by most film providers.

In summary: sure, RR's movies are easy to criticize, but they are good entertainment, and they really reach audiences--all for 1/3 the budget that Hollywood usually expends.
 
rapsucks said:
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

But the man is inspirational--mostily in that he knows exactly who he is. He's not Orson Wells (who also did just about everything himself on his films), but he's no Michael Bay, either--even though his films appeal to much the same demographic. (Appologies to any Michael Bay fans out there; I don't want to start any fights here). Watching El Mariachi with the director's commentary was one of the most enlightening things I have done, not just regarding filmmaking, but also, to some degree, life. He spends the entire time pointing out errors he made and the corners he had to cut. It was very heartening to me knowing that as long as my core story is good, people will forgive a lot.
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Awesome post, man. Of all the posts made about RR, I've never heard someone speak on knowing oneself and how he knows who he is and who he is not.
 
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For me, I wouldn't say that RR is a genius, or a hack. He's made some great films, I really enjoyed Sin city (though you have to give Frank Miller a lot of credit for that) and his other films are entertaining to me.

What I found the most inspiring though was on Sin city before any actors had signed, he just made an intro with their names already on it - and convinced Miller to give the greenlight. It's this kind of attitude that's got him in the door in the first place. He's a very hard worker and he will follow things up. He is obviously very convincing. :) How did he get through the door? he worked hard, and then walked right through it.

I think RR will have some great films to come. He's already done some great work - and he gets involved everywhere. I think it's great. Definitely not my favorite filmmaker though.

-Chris
 
Zak Forsman said:
i had a tough time reading this word. just staring at it but unable to pronounce it. inspy--, inspeer--. i don't even know why i'm posting this.
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That's awesome. After I wrote it I was like is that a word? Yeah it's a word. Is it?

Guess it isn't. I get older, english gets worse.
 
the guy has his own little LucasFilm in austin. he makes what he wants, when he wants it. genius? i don't personally think so. but when he got his first big paycheck, he was obviously smart enough to re-invest the money in his future. and look at him now. his resources make him the envy of every last one of us.
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Great. I agree entirely.

<< going back to read more...

-GageFX
 
Isaac_Brody said:
Not a genius. An inspiration yes, and damn damn lucky.
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Please expand on this "luck".

Many unaccomplished filmmakers (and I'm not referring to you) write him completely off to luck and I take that as jealousy. My take on it is usually because of all the hatred they spew along with the word "lucky". You only referred to the luck and spewed no hatred so I dont include you in this.

So.... why do you say "lucky"?

-GageFX
 
Sorry for the multiple posts. I missed alot and am catching up a post at a time.


I really enjoyed Sin city (though you have to give Frank Miller a lot of credit for that)
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I dont agree with this. If anything, I think Miller detracted. (as for the movie as a whole - not trying to discredit your feelings of enjoyment)

Frank provided the characters and the world. Very interesting characters and an intriguing world, but I think alot that is bad with the movie comes from this material. The 2 dimensional acting. The awkward dialogue. While Miller is responsible for the look of the characters and the graphic nature of the art, it is entirely Robert (Rodriguez, not 86) that is responsible for figuring this out and bringing it to life. This is where I see his genius.

(BTW, I have no problem with the cardboard characters and acting - I can accept that I am watching a comic book and not a Shakespearian play.)

-GageFX
 
GageFX said:
Please expand on this "luck".

Many unaccomplished filmmakers (and I'm not referring to you) write him completely off to luck and I take that as jealousy. My take on it is usually because of all the hatred they spew along with the word "lucky". You only referred to the luck and spewed no hatred so I dont include you in this.

So.... why do you say "lucky"?

-GageFX
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In Rebel Without A Crew Rodriguez says he was offered I think about 7000 bucks for Mariachi to go straight to video. If I remember correctly (I read the book about seven years ago) he'd been trekking his film around town and hadn't got any nibbles. He could of taken that straight to video deal, from what I remember reading he was close to taking that deal. I think he got lucky, someone took a chance on him, and I think he would acknowledge that too.

I don't write him off at all. I don't think he has the talent or taste of Kubrick or Spielberg or even his buddy Tarantino, but he's really good at making films cheaply. I liked Sin City, but it drags in spots, and sure you can say that frame for frame it's exactly like the graphic novel, but I don't think that's a good thing.

I have to ask GageFX, your last few posts have been very confrontational, is there a reason? PM me personally if you want to talk. You don't sound like your usual chill self.
 
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