Roger Corman's autobiography, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime (co-authored with Jim Jerome), is a seminal, practical guide to independent filmmaking, outlining strategies for producing profitable films on low budgets. The book highlights Corman's "guerrilla" production methods and features testimonials from famous proteges like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, cementing its reputation as an essential text for aspiring creators. You can find a digital copy to read at Internet Archive.
I looked over at my expensive camera gathering dust in the corner. I looked at my script—a sprawling, 120-page epic that would cost twenty million dollars to make. Roger Corman's autobiography, How I Made a Hundred
How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood and never lost a dime Respect the Budget: Never spend money you don't have
The 10-Day Standard: Most of his films were shot in roughly 10 days. His legendary The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) was famously completed in just two days and one night. Chapter 5: Production
Corman focused on "high-concept" ideas—sharks, monsters, or hot-button social issues—that could be explained in a single sentence to grab audiences. Preparation as Engineering:
Corman never tried to beat Disney at the box office. He sold to the drive-ins and the grindhouses. The modern equivalent? Don't try for a theatrical wide release. Sell directly to a niche streaming service, YouTube, or a specific subreddit community. He targeted places where the projectionist was the popcorn seller. You target low-overhead, high-volume platforms.
Chapter 5: Production