The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters: The Hero's Journey: " Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told. " Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on. " Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created. The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays. Consider this: " Titanic (1997) grossed over $600,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template. " Star Wars (1977) grossed over $460,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template. " Shrek 2 (2004) grossed over $436,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template. " ET (1982) grossed over $434,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template. " Spiderman (2002) grossed over $432,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template. " Out of Africa (1985), Terms of Endearment (1983), Dances with Wolves (1990), Gladiator (2000) - All Academy Award Winners Best Film are based on the Hero's Journey. " Anti-hero stories (Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) etc) are all based on the Hero's Journey. " Heroine's Journey stories (Million Dollar Baby (2004), Out of Africa (1980) etc) are all based on the Hero's Journey. Screenwriting and The Hero's Journey - First Catharsis The penultimate stage of the standard Hero's Journey is the Master of the Two Worlds (detailed versions include the Afterlife etc...). This stage can also be called the Final Conflict as it is where the hero conquers his or her outer challenge. The Outer Challenge is conquered in stages of, normally, three: the three catharses. This process is more evident in straight good versus evil stories but can be spotted in other stories (Raging Bull, 1980). The build up to the first catharsis usually involves the hero battling the antagonist and losing. That is until the antagonist commits an intolerable antagonism that causes the hero to show his true self. For example, in Return of the Jedi (1983), Luke refuses to outright defeat Vader and turn to the dark side until he threatens to begin the process with his sister, Leia. Learn more... The Complete 188 stage Hero's Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/ You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site. Kal Bishop, MBA ********************************** You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained. |
