[From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters and sitcoms (see below for the URL of our Home Page) and our isolation and identification of more than 188 stages of the Hero's Journey that you need to know about...]
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 Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.
Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
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…
Inciting Incident: Star Wars, The French Connection, Little Miss Sunshine
One purpose of the Inciting Incident, and another reason for it to be separate and distinct from the Call to Adventure, is that it establishes polarization between the Hero and the Antagonist or Greater Antagonism.
For example:
In The French Connection (1971), the Inciting Incident establishes Pierre as the bad guy and the context of heroine export from France to the USA.
In Star Wars (1977), the first sequence introduces the Antagonist and the need for a resolution [Vader kidnaps Leia].
In Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the first sequence shows us Olive watching the beauty parade. This Inciting Incident establishes the distance between plain old Olive and the possibility of her winning such a competition (polarization).
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/
Managing Creativity and Innovation and related techniques and tools can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/
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Kal Bishop, MBA
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