The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon – understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
The Hero's Journey:
· Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
· Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
· Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.
The Interdictor
One element of the Hero's Journey (during the stage of the Refusal) is the common presence of the Interdictor – a figure of authority prevents the hero acting under threat of some punishment. The Interdictor is separate and distinct from Threshold Guardians:
In Star Wars (1977), uncle Owen prevents Luke from embarking on his adventure. The reason is legitimate but when Luke disappears to find R2D2, uncle Owen explicitly states that "there will be hell to pay."
In The Incredibles (2004), both the government and Mr Incredible's boss prevent Mr Incredible from acting on his instincts. His boss explicitly states that there will be punishment if Mr Incredible does not do as he is told.
In The Matrix (1999), Agent Smith interviews and interrogates Neo, offering him incentives not to involve himself in the adventure. In an explicit act, Neo sticks his two fingers up at Smith.
In Out of Africa (1985), a soldier explicitly tells Karen not to venture out from the farm and find her husband. In fact, he orders he to move to town under threat of physical removal.
The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at
http://managing-creativity.com/You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at
http://managing-creativity.com/Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kal_BishopThe Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon – understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
The Hero's Journey:
· Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
· Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
· Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.
The Interdictor
One element of the Hero's Journey (during the stage of the Refusal) is the common presence of the Interdictor – a figure of authority prevents the hero acting under threat of some punishment. The Interdictor is separate and distinct from Threshold Guardians:
In Star Wars (1977), uncle Owen prevents Luke from embarking on his adventure. The reason is legitimate but when Luke disappears to find R2D2, uncle Owen explicitly states that "there will be hell to pay."
In The Incredibles (2004), both the government and Mr Incredible's boss prevent Mr Incredible from acting on his instincts. His boss explicitly states that there will be punishment if Mr Incredible does not do as he is told.
In The Matrix (1999), Agent Smith interviews and interrogates Neo, offering him incentives not to involve himself in the adventure. In an explicit act, Neo sticks his two fingers up at Smith.
In Out of Africa (1985), a soldier explicitly tells Karen not to venture out from the farm and find her husband. In fact, he orders he to move to town under threat of physical removal.
The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at
http://managing-creativity.com/You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at
http://managing-creativity.com/Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kal_BishopThe Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon – understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
The Hero's Journey:
· Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
· Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
· Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.
The Interdictor
One element of the Hero's Journey (during the stage of the Refusal) is the common presence of the Interdictor – a figure of authority prevents the hero acting under threat of some punishment. The Interdictor is separate and distinct from Threshold Guardians:
In Star Wars (1977), uncle Owen prevents Luke from embarking on his adventure. The reason is legitimate but when Luke disappears to find R2D2, uncle Owen explicitly states that "there will be hell to pay."
In The Incredibles (2004), both the government and Mr Incredible's boss prevent Mr Incredible from acting on his instincts. His boss explicitly states that there will be punishment if Mr Incredible does not do as he is told.
In The Matrix (1999), Agent Smith interviews and interrogates Neo, offering him incentives not to involve himself in the adventure. In an explicit act, Neo sticks his two fingers up at Smith.
In Out of Africa (1985), a soldier explicitly tells Karen not to venture out from the farm and find her husband. In fact, he orders he to move to town under threat of physical removal.
The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at
http://managing-creativity.com/You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at
http://managing-creativity.com/Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kal_Bishop
