The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.
Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
There is only one story.
The Hero’s Journey:
a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).
d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.
and more…
A TRIVIAL TASK
One often missed element of many successful stories is the stage of the Trivial Task. Following the debates between Doves and Hawks, the Interdictions and the Refusals, the Hero is immersed in a Period of Desolation, unsure of whether to embark on his or her Journey, Transformation or Quest.
Either the Hero is Pulled out - some emergency pulls the Hero out of his or her Ordinary World and from his or her Ordinary Self (the imminemt death of family - Gladiator, 2000) or a Trivial Task pushes the Hero out of his or her Ordinary World and from his or her Ordinary Self - unconsciously, unwillingly - into the Journey (Luke must rescue the droids - Star Wars, 1977).
We are intimately familair with the Trivial Task from our fairytales:
a) Go up the hill and fetch a pale of water.
b) Go to the market and get a fair penny for these pigs.
c) Go to grandma and give her these cakes I′ve baked.
Learn more…
WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!
The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at clickok.co.uk/ clickok.co.uk/
The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/
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Kal Bishop, MBA
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