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]
HERO'S JOURNEY TIP OF THE DAY: SACRIFICE AND THE CONSCIOUS DECISION
The concepts of Sacrifice and the Conscious Decision are highly underrated in screenwriting, yet these are vital and interrelated elements of every successful story.
Every Hero must transform from an Old Self to a New Self. It is the New Self that is able to conquer challenges that the Old Self could not.
But the path to the New Self often involves a Conscious Decision to Sacrifice the Old Self.
In the Godfather (1972), Michael consciously sacrifices his Old Self ("I don't know when I'll be back, Kay...") and consciously accepts the transformation to his New Self ("I'm with you now Pop, I'm with you...").
In Star Wars (1972), Luke consciously lets go of his Old Self ("there's nothing for me here now; I'm never coming back here again...") and accepts the transformation to his New Self ("I want to become a Jedi like my father...").
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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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