FORWARD

Kal Bishop's 188 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 (see URL below) are based on this 188+ 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

EVERY HERO GOES TO THAT PLACE WHICH HE FEARS MOST

Every Hero goes on a Journey. As is implied, the Journey is physical but also psychological: The Hero journeys from an Ordinary World to a New World and transforms from an Ordinary Self to a New Self (the physical journey induces the psychological transformation). A critical element of both journeys is the First Threshold.

Psychologically, the First Threshold is that place which the Hero fears most and from where he cannot return ("beyond here there be dragons"). This fear is exacerbated by the earlier Refusals, Interdictions and Dove and Hawk debates. In Dances with Wolves (Academy Award Winner Best Film, 1990), John Dunbar is initially afraid of the Frontier because it is unknown and afraid of the Indians who live there. In The Matrix (1999), Neo is afraid to learn the truth; once he has crossed over, he cannot return.

Physically, the First Threshold is some New Domain that is a polar opposite of the Hero's Ordinary World. It is a dangerous place, with dangerous and unfamiliar objects and inhabitants and is separated from the Ordinary World by physical barriers or markers (rivers, railroads, tunnels etc ) that the Hero must cross. In Dances with Wolves (Academy Award Winner Best Film, 1990), John Dunbar must cross the prairies to reach the Frontier; when he gets there he finds it to be the polar opposite of where he has come from - devoid of people and peaceful (he has just come from fighting in the civil war). In The Matrix (1999), Neo crosses over to find a world completely different to that from where he has just come - humans are in pods and managed by machines.

(For the Complete 188+ stage Hero's Journey simply go to http://www.heros-journey.info/ )

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

*****Outer Challenge*****

Trial 3 often sees the Hero tackle an Outer Challenge. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Ennis goes to the fair and gets into a fight.

*****Characters and Archetypes*****

The vast majority of successful screenplays use off-the shelf character functions called Archetypes. For example, Tessio (The Godfather, 1972) and Han Solo (Star Wars, 1977) are both Shape Shifters. You can find a complete list of archetypes from http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html Apart from the Hero, it is these arcgetypes' challenges that provide the basis for subplot.