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...
[simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ or http://www.heros-journey.info/ or http://www.monomyth.info/ for full details]
*****Ordinary Self*****
There are certain aspects of the Hero's Ordinary Self that are commonly made explicit, including:
Status. Defining the Hero relationship to others is common: In Spiderman (2002), no one wants to sit next to Peter Parker on the bus. In Forrest Gump (1994), no one wants to sit next to Forrest on the bus. In Beverly Hills Cop (1984), other officers try to interact with Axel Foley - they follow him around.
Loyalty. It is not unusual to find that the Hero is the sort of person that inspires loyalty or not (antihero). This explains why others may or may not gravitate around him (or her). In Gladiator (2000), Maximus' dog follows him in battle. In Raging Bull (1980), Joey hangs out with his older brother.
True Nature. We learn of the Hero's True Nature (which if negative, may be an inner challenge). In Gladiator (2000), Maximus takes time to feel the tall grass.
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Go to http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html for more info on the 188+ stage Hero's Journey....
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