EL MARIACHI BUDGETprovided by Robert Rodriguez
| Stock |
| 12 400 ft. rolls- Kodak 7292 (indoor) | $1,140 |
| 13 400 ft. rolls- Kodak 7248 (outdoor) | $1,170 |
| 1 100 ft test roll (B+W) | $19 |
| Subtotal: | $2,329 |
| Processing |
| 25 400 ft. rolls (13 cents per foot) | $1,300 |
| 1 100 ft. test roll | $23 |
| Subtotal: | $2,329 |
| Equipment |
| 2 clip-on modeling lamps: | $60 |
| 7 bulbs: | $67 |
| Subtotal: | $127 |
| Miscellaneous |
| Acting fees: | $225 |
| Used guitar case: | $16 |
| 3 sheets diffuser gels: | $15 |
| 25 squibs: | $50 |
| Blanks (machine gun): | $50 |
| Fake blood, condoms (for squibs), gaffer tape, knickknacks, lens cleaner kit, extra bulb | $122 |
| 4 rolls 35mm production still film | $18 |
| 10 Maxell II audio cassettes: | $23 |
| 6 197 Ampex 3/4" BLA 60c | $103 |
| Subtotal: | $622 |
| Postproduction |
| Video transfer with overall Color correction (28 cents per foot)* | $2,824 |
* "This is a service where they do a sort of ‘overall correction’ when transferring to video. It’s not the best color correction you can get, but they can fix over and under exposures, and keep faces from turning green. It’s a hell of a bargain and all you really need."
Total spent on film and developing, not including test roll: $3,610 — almost half of the budget. So if you’re measuring negative costs (not including video transfer), the movie costs less than $5,000. But my budget represents the cost from conception to the finished product.
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