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Kal Bashir's 510+ stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth)

The 510+ stage 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 (all available at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html) are based on this 510+ 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...

HERO'S JOURNEY TIP OF THE DAY: FUNCTION OF THE NIGHT SEA JOURNEY

One of the functions of the Night Sea Journey is to enable the Hero to collect Magical Gifts (symbolically from the Old World) that will enable him (or her) to survive the Near Death Experience. This ties in with the Mystical Marriage where, symbolically, Two Worlds merge: the Old World tangible is representative of that World's contribution to The Merging.

This forms the base of the further message that, though the Ordinary World and Self is being left behind, there is value in it. Remember, the Mastery of Two Worlds requires the incorporation of elements of both.

In An Officer and a Gentleman (1983), Zach reappears with his motorbike.

In Dances with Wolves (1990), John Dunbar goes back to the fort to collect the guns.

In Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Jason rescues Medea.

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Go to http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html for more info on the 510+ stage Hero's Journey....

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