When I did my college course in London – radio, TV, journalism, advertising – it had three linked mini sub-subjects – psychology, sociology and literature.
One of the things the psychology course involved was the students taking tests on their creativity (participation was optional). I was surprised when I scored relatively low on one of the tests – 36% on ‘perseveration’.
I queried the result. “I think I’m quite dogged when solving problems or trying things out,” I said. “I would have thought I had high perseverance. I think I do persevere at things.”
But I was told ‘perseveration’ was different to ‘perseverance’.
Perseveration means that, if you approach a problem, you will persevere in trying to solve it in the same way over and over and over again, even though you keep failing.
Low perseveration means that, if you try to solve a problem and it is clearly not getting results, you will try another approach, another angle to solve the problem until you find the successful answer.
Obviously, VERY low perseveration is as bad as very high perseveration. If you are constantly giving up on one failed angle and immediately try another, that is as bad as obsessively repeating failed attempts.
I was reminded of this last night, when I attended the premiere of COOKSTER: The Darkest Days, a feature film based on the early life story of the indefatigable Jason Cook.
I had, in fact, seen the movie last year when it won a Best Feature award at the London Independent Film Festival. I was surprised then how good it was.
I had expected it to be yet another of that now-not-uncommon genre of London crime/mindless action movies. Instead, it was and is a heart-felt, psychologically interesting film about people and their emotions. Not just a shoot-and-snort-em-up wannabe thriller. It is about real people affected by real situations.
One of the stars, Nick Moran, pointed out before the screening that it is rare to see a crime film which is set in suburbia. And, I would add, about real believable people. (The film is, after all, autobiographical and pulls no punches.)
Nick Moran’s involvement started seven years ago, when he had an office at Elstree Film Studios; and so did Jason Cook. Jason gave him one of the books he had written.
Jason (as mentioned over the years in this blog) is dyslexic but has written and published four autobiographical crime books plus novels, children’s books and much else.
COOKSTER: The Darkest Days is the prequel to another planned movie COOKSTER: No Going Back which is based on Jason Cook’s book There’s No Room for Jugglers in My Circus (2006).
I first chatted to Jason for a blog in December 2010 when he was moving in to his office at Elstree Studios and was trying to get There’s No Room for Jugglers in My Circus turned into a movie.
The phrase to describe Jason is creatively indefatigable – not easy words if you are dyslexic. He won’t take No for an answer and will keep trying different angles. Which is how to survive and prosper in the movie business. (That and to never trust anyone!)
At last night’s premiere, I met the likely casting director for COOKSTER: No Going Back… a scriptwriter working on Jason’s planned Masonic Coins of the Roman Empire movie… and another scriptwriter working on yet another un-named Jason movie.
Jason Cook perseveres AND has high perseverance.
COOKSTER: The Darkest Days is released across the UK from today in Vue cinemas.
After this blog was posted, actor Nick Moran was interviewed on ITV London News, talking about COOKSTER. This copy of the interview was shot on a TV screen with an iPhone, so it is not pristine sound or picture…