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Filmmakers have been entertaining the masses for many years, making great movies that can be enjoyed over and over again and never get old. Many people take for granted that these filmmakers were once just regular people too, eventually getting their big break and making it. Directors like Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith and George Lucas all have a unique ‘rags to riches’ story about how they made it as filmmakers.

Kevin Smith was a young film buff in the early 90s, when he decided to make his first film. He had sold his entire comic book collection and entered film school.The full explanation can be found at http://www.avclub.com/articles/robert-rodriguez-brings-another-bumper-crop-of-seq,59340/ Halfway through, after making some good connections, he dropped out and got a job at a local gas station. Deciding that he could save money by making his movie where he worked, he auditioned a few people and hired some extras. He made the movie ‘Clerks’ right in the gas station for a mere 27k by using his savings and maxing his credit cards. He is now a comedy sensation.

Robert Rodriguez got his start by winning a few thousand dollars on a game show. He used this money to finance the independent movie ‘El Mariachi’, using his family as extras. The final budget for the film clocked in at 7k and the movie was an underground hit in his native Mexico. He later went on to making hits like ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’.

George Lucas also came from humble beginnings until he wrote the Star Wars series. He made the movie little by little, using hand-made models and whatever else he could dig up and be creative with. He was able to convince a few small investors to pitch in money as well. The end result was an epic series that still stands the test of time today.