From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters and Academy Award Winners....

The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

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) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more...

Below is a deconstruction of a classic transformation that sticks rigidly to the Hero's Journey.

EXAMPLE: My Name is Earl (stealing beer from a golfer); Hero's Journey: basic deconstruction

FADE IN: backstory / context: Earl realises he has bad Karma and has to change.

Inciting Incident: Randy hears about the County Fair.

Elixir: Randy tells Catalaina and Earl that they have to go to the fair.

Call to Adventure: Earl wants to go but first he has to cross something off his list.

Refusal: Randy asks him to give one day a miss; Earl just won;t be happy unless he crosses something off his list.

First Threshold:

Outer Cave: Scott gets a hole in one and gets everyone a beer.

Middle Cave: Earl and Randy fix it so that Scott scores more holes in one.

Inner Cave: Randy starts bragging and the free ride is over.

Foreshadow of the Elixir: you need a moustache to be the Bandit.

Belly of the Whale: Earl finds Scott and gives him his beer back.

Physical Separation: Scott lost his job; Earl has to get his job back.

Resisting the Trials and Transformation: Randy wants to go and have fun at the fair.

Trial 1:

Earl speaks to the boss and gets Scott's job back.

Pushed to Trail 2: if only Scott could get his girlfriend back, everything would be back to normal.

Trial 2:

Scott loses his girlfriend.

Resisting Trial 3: Bear Awesome; the bandit w

Trial 3: Earl gets Scott's girlfriend back; the fire on the cross and Swastika sequence.

Foreshadow of the Atonement: Pooch is missing.

Separation: Earl tells Randy to wait in the car.

Meeting the Oracle: Randy goes missing.

Journey to the Sword:

Scott gives Earl a lift to the fair.

Apotheosis: the list is Earl's Golf.

Earl waits for Randy at home.

Earl goes to the hospital.

Guardians of the Sword: the receptionist.

Seizing the Sword: the bus ticket agent says he bought a ticket to Hagersville.

Reward: on the bus; a little bit of blue sugar in a bag.

Atonement with the Father: Earl and Randy see each other.

Apotheosis: Randy went to get Pooch.

Ultimate Boon: Randy gives Earl the dog and says they can go to the fair next year.

Master of Two Worlds: Earl writes never to neglect Randy on his list.

Freedom to Live: Randy gets to be the Bandit for a day; the bandit car.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero's Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

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Kal Bishop, MBA

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