His peers and teachers were his audience. In high school, Rodriquez will meet his future friend and collaborator Carlos Gallardo, a Mexican boarding school student. Together, they made several short films under fifteen minutes in length because Rodriquez learned that his audience preferred faster, shorter films. Therefore, films transformed Rodriquez's life. Now he was making honors and getting good grades in his senior year, which he attributes to the boost his films added to his self-confidence. Validation from peers and faculty helped him receive a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, a school with a film