Director, Robert Rodriguez spent $7000 on making El Mariachi. Rodriguez raised $3,000 of the $7,000 by volunteering to be a human “laboratory rat”. He was used to test a cholesterol reducing drug making $100 a day for 30 days. He wrote most of the script while locked in the lab. While there, he met Peter Marquardt, a fellow ” lab rat” and offered him a leading role in the film. Peter, however but could not speak Spanish, so he delivered his lines from his cue cards either held in his hand or out of the shot. Most of the $7,000 was spent on film for the camera. The version seen in most cinemas has had approximately $1 million of post-production work and promotion behind it.
- TY Walker
