Badass on a Budget Brings Stuntman Eric Jacobus’s Low-Budget Action Filmmaking Secrets to Print—Available May 1
Here’s the instructional guide for filmmakers who have more ambition than resources: Badass on a Budget, from stuntman and action star Eric Jacobus, arrives May 1, 2026, on Amazon in both eBook and print formats. Jacobus built his career in the trenches of low-budget martial arts movies before working with the best in the business, and his book delivers a battle-tested blueprint for crafting action films on virtually nothing but knowledge, creativity, and determination. The guide arrives with endorsements from action filmmaking royalty including Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Ip Man 4), director JJ Perry (Day Shift), director Isaac Florentine (Undisputed II & III, Close Range), and action designer Kenji Tanigaki (Rurouni Kenshin, The Furious). Pre-orders are available now for indie-spirited filmmakers ready to make their own action movies without the big bucks.
The Jacobus Journey
Eric Jacobus represents the scrappy independent filmmaker who proved that limitations breed creativity.
His projects like Rope-a-Dope and Blindsided demonstrated what’s possible when passion exceeds budget. Inspired by Hong Kong martial arts movies, Jacobus went out and made his own on virtually nothing, refusing to wait for permission or financing that might never arrive. That determination eventually led to working with the best in the business, but the lessons learned in those low-budget trenches inform everything Badass on a Budget teaches.
Scott Adkins, who’s appeared in John Wick 4, Ip Man 4, and countless action films, calls Jacobus “undoubtedly one of the most inventive action stars and filmmakers out there,” noting that watching his work in Rope-a-Dope and Blindsided was “awe-inspiring.”
The Book’s Approach
Badass on a Budget delivers what the title promises: a path to making action films when resources are scarce.
The guide features visual aides and rapid-fire step-by-step processes with what reviewers describe as almost scientific specificity, uniquely geared for the action and martial arts genre. The instruction is peppered with true stories from Jacobus’s own journey, making the technical guidance entertaining rather than dry.
Director JJ Perry (Day Shift) calls it “a refreshing masterclass in action design from a true indie pioneer” for filmmakers “tired of the ‘same old same old.'”
Director Isaac Florentine (Undisputed II & III, Close Range) positions Jacobus “at the top tier of performers in the American martial arts film world,” noting that the book delivers “a battle-tested blueprint” applicable to action films, martial arts cinema, or any kind of movie.
The Philosophy
The book apparently embraces constraint as creative catalyst rather than obstacle.
Action designer Kenji Tanigaki (Rurouni Kenshin, The Furious) observes that “most of the shots that audiences found interesting were born out of ingenuity and creativity in overcoming desperate, make-or-break situations on set.” The recognition that “you ultimately run out of money and time” applies universally, but Tanigaki suggests “most of the answers can be found in this book.”
Author david j. moore (The Good, the Tough, and the Deadly) calls Jacobus “an unsung hero of the low budget action realm” and the book “a treasure map for anyone looking to begin their quest in building everything from almost nothing.”
The message resonates for filmmakers at every level: winning through creativity, crafting excellence despite limitations, refusing to let budget determine quality.
The Target Audience
Badass on a Budget serves multiple reader categories.
Aspiring action filmmakers without financing: The core audience, those who’ve dreamed of making action movies but assumed the genre required resources they’d never access.
Martial arts practitioners interested in film: Performers who want to understand how their skills translate to screen, how fights are designed and captured.
Low-budget filmmakers in any genre: While specifically geared toward action, the creativity-under-constraint philosophy applies broadly.
Action cinema enthusiasts: Fans who want to understand how their favorite sequences are created, even without filmmaking ambitions.
Film students studying genre craft: The specificity Jacobus brings provides education that general filmmaking courses might not cover.
The Endorsement Weight
The names backing Badass on a Budget carry authority within action filmmaking circles.
Scott Adkins has become one of action cinema’s most respected practitioners, his work spanning DTV martial arts films through blockbuster franchise appearances.
JJ Perry made the leap from stunt coordination to directing with Day Shift, understanding exactly the trajectory Jacobus describes.
Isaac Florentine directed some of the most acclaimed American martial arts films of the past two decades, his Undisputed sequels setting standards for DTV action.
Kenji Tanigaki brings Japanese action cinema perspective, his work on Rurouni Kenshin demonstrating period action at the highest level.
These endorsements come from people who’ve done the work, who understand what Jacobus teaches because they’ve lived it.
Who Should Pre-Order
If you’ve wanted to make action films but assumed you couldn’t afford it: This book apparently exists specifically to prove that assumption wrong.
If creativity under constraint appeals philosophically: The approach transcends filmmaking into mindset applicable across creative endeavors.
If you study action cinema seriously: Understanding how sequences are designed and executed deepens appreciation for the craft.
If DTV and independent action films represent your passion: The community that made those films now has its instructional text.
If you’ve run out of excuses: The book removes the financial barrier excuse, leaving only willingness to try.
May 1 Arms You With Knowledge
Badass on a Budget releases May 1, 2026, on Amazon in eBook and print formats. Pre-orders available now.
A stuntman and action star who built his career making films on nothing. A guide that shows you how to do the same. Endorsements from Scott Adkins, JJ Perry, Isaac Florentine, and Kenji Tanigaki. Visual aides and step-by-step processes with scientific specificity.
You don’t have the big bucks to get started. That doesn’t have to stop you anymore.
May 1. Get locked and loaded. Be badass on a budget.
