I’M LISA N EDWARDS AND I’M A ROOKIEWhat is a rookie?A rookie is...
I’M LISA N EDWARDS AND I’M A ROOKIE
What is a rookie?
A rookie is a person in his or her first year of a sport, or someone who is new to a profession, training or activity such as a rookie police officer, rookie pilot, a recruit,etc etc.
In a polite ‘no’ I received for my script, LIMBO last week, the producer proceeded to tell me I am a rookie. He had the courtesy to phone me and give me the bad news, usually they either say a polite no, via email, which we have had countless times, or explain in the email please keep them updated and will commit once A-list cast or director are attached, (the chicken and egg scenario) or the email chain
becomes very one sided, like you are talking to yourself. You may as well talk
to the wall, you will get the same response and emotion when this happens…
Anyway back to the phone call, about thirty seconds into the conversation he’s told me it’s a pass from
us, and here’s the reason why…
“The Acquisitions guy in LA thinks you’re a rookie.”
Then his other phone started ringing, I could hear it in the background, the distress and panic of
the possibly of missing that call entered the tone of his voice. I felt
important in one moment, because he called, like I described before, that was a
big thing for a Hollywood producer to actually call,(I’d earned a little
respect) but in the next breath, he thought while it was important to call to
tell me I am a rookie he also said, “This call is more important, I’ll
call you back I need to explain to you further…
I occasionally look at my phone and think maybe that’s karma for all the guys I did that to in my younger years… I chuckle to myself because the return call never happened. And I
didn’t actually expect it to, and I sat looking at my phone hoping to have some
emotion, but Pink Floyds song was going through my head… I guess that what they
mean by 'Comfortably numb…’
I had no emotion whatsoever, just numb! And you need to become numb or grow a thick skin, because all the no’s on the way to getting a film made can be soul shattering.
Some days one 'NO’ can change your entire mood, and my family run for the
safest blanket to hide under, which in my house is a modern day bomb shelter,
until somehow you pick yourself back up, dust off the no’s and start hunting
again for that elusive YES!
It’s the law of averages…There has to be a yes somewhere, something needs to eventually balance this
very one sided picture…
And when I think about it, even though he didn’t get to fully explain what he rang to tell me…
You know what, YES! I AM A ROOKIE!!
I don’t know why he thought the need to tell me that, it’s something I already know… In Hollywood terms,
this is the 1st feature film I have written… Or co-written to be exact, so in
their eyes yes I’m a rookie. (But we are pretty darn good rookies having won 4
awards for the script) and I think that’s why I keep searching for the yes!
But doesn’t everyone need to start somewhere? So Sylvester Stallone, even though he was a rookie didn’t
let that deter him. His first film Rocky won 3 Oscars… And Ben Affleck and
Matt Damon both virgin script writers, or Rookies… 2 Oscars for Good Will
Hunting. These are just 2 of the many "rookie” stories Hollywood is
made of.
So for every NO, I keep
believing we are one NO closer to finding that YES!!!
And I’m sure that’s why we
keep pursuing our dreams…
YOU NEVER FAIL UNTIL YOU STOP TRYING!!
