The Hero's Journey (Monomyth) 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. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.
[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].
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 catharses, of which there are usually four).
d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.
and more...
*****Magic Flight Characteristics*****
An odd characteristic of the magic flight is that it often involves death. In Straw Dogs (1971), Henry kills Janice. In Star Wars (1977), Luke destroys some of the Death Star's fighters. In Scarface (1983), Tony kills Sosa's man.
*****Exile*****
Sometimes the Hero is simply banished or exiled from his Old World and arrives in a New World in which he will undergo his Transformation. In Platoon (1986), Taylor simply arrives in Vietnam. In Dead Poets Society (1989), the boys simply are at their new school.
In such situations, it is made explicit that the Hero is a Fish out of Water. In Platoon (1986), Taylor arrives as a rookie. In Dead Poets Society (1989), it is the first day of school.
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WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!
The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/
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Kal Bishop, MBA
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