Fans can invest and pitch in Robert Rodriguez's films

How it works: Investment tiers start at $250 and can go up to more than $1 million. Benefits range from access to a newsletter to the chance to have dinner at Rodriguez's home.

• All investors can submit their own action film pitch, which will be reviewed at Troublemaker Studios in Austin.
• Finalists will then get the opportunity to pitch directly to Rodriguez, who will select one to turn into a full production.
• Investors will earn a share of the profits.

What they're saying: "Across my work, I've always sought to overcome the idea that great action movies need big Hollywood budgets," Rodriguez said in a statement.

• "It's exciting to continue to create high-energy films for the people who love them, while now being able to offer direct access to the filmmaking process at such a monumental time for Texas film."

Flashback: Rodriguez's first film, "El Mariachi" (1992), was made with a famously low budget of $7,000.

• It launched his career and solidified him as a pioneer in independent filmmaking.

The intrigue: Beyond creative input, investors in select tiers can fulfill their wildest action movie fantasies.

• "People come up to me all the time and say, 'Can you kill me in one of your movies? Can you just shoot me, run me over, chop my head off?'" Rodriguez said during SXSW, according to Chron.com.
• "I don't get the fascination, I don't know, but that's one of the investment tiers."