Robert Rodriguez writes, directs, produces, shoots, scores and edits his movies. He even cooks the meals for his cast and crew. He's a true Renaissance man. And I hate him for it.

His ten minute film school featurettes on his DVDs make it all seem so easy. And with the easy access and affordability of movie making hardware and software, everybody believes him.

Now far be it from me to discourage the next budding Robert Rodriguez. But when I meet a multi-hyphenate, my first thought is: Jack of all trades, master of none. And I meet them all the time.

I recently met a Nicholl Fellowship winner who landed a big agent from his win. He insists on being attached to all his scripts as director. He has yet to see one of his acclaimed scripts produced. Maybe one day he'll get his chance to show us he's as brilliant as Orson Welles. But look how much trouble Welles had getting movies financed and completed even after he proved himself a genius with Citizen Kane.

I was a first-round screener for a film festival last year. After viewing the worst ones, it was never a surprise to find out the lead actor was also the writer, director, producer, cinematographer, composer, editor, casting director and location scout -- meaning they shot it in their apartment, with no production design whatsoever. I'm just sayin'. Some people need a reality check. But if they're wearing every hat, who's left to tell them they're not Kevin Smith?

Then there are the people who don't claim to be able to write, direct, act, edit, or operate a camera, so they call themselves producers. I know a guy who believes his talent is coming up with ideas, then assembling a team of talent to execute his vision. He doesn't actually have money to hire them. He lives on a friend's couch and doesn't always know where his next meal is coming from, but he has a web site and business cards with a nice logo, so he thinks that makes him look professional.

Ironically, real production companies try to hide their presence from the public. See if you can find a web site for the just-launched production company Strange Weather Films. You can't. Does that make you think they're not legit? One of their principals is Andrew Adamson, director of the first two Shrek and Narnia features.

Seriously, if you can find a way to contact them, let me know. I have a project I'm dying to pitch them. And I certainly don't expect to run into them at one of those pitch-a-thons. You know why? Those things are littered with people like that deluded couch surfing producer guy I know. He's not there to pitch the thirty projects he claims to have "in development." He's there to hear pitches from hopeful writers who paid $500 to stand in long lines with dreams of selling their projects to real producers. Just a reminder that L.A. is full of predators, much like the title characters in next month's Predators reboot, which was produced by Robert Rodriguez.

Dan Margules is a Los Angeles based screenwriter who doesn't really have anything against Robert Rodriguez. Dan's award-winning short film, Begleiter, is available in a Special Edition from Amazon.com or happy-the-dog.com. He was also a music journalist and co-founded and was president of San Diego Filmmakers.