The Hero’s Journey: 188 Stages That You Need To Know About
From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters….
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…
The Italian Job (1969) - Hero’s Journey [basic deconstruction]
FADE IN: Herald’s Journey: Roger dies in the car crash.
Meeting the Antagonism: the mafia kill Roger.
Meeting the Hero: Charlie leaves prison.
Hero’s Status: prisoners call out to Charlie as he leaves.
Meeting the Mentor: goodbye Mr Bridger.
Meeting the Romantic Challenge: Lorna waits for Charlie outside.
Developing the Goddess: this is the Pakistani Ambassador’s car.
New Self: new clothes at the tailor.
Goodbye to the Old Self: you can put all this in the museum.
Hero’s Capabilities: getting the wallet and the car.
Magical Gift: wallet and the car.
Foreshadow of the Journey: picking up the message.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Lorna gets Charlie the girls as a present.
Meeting the Herald 2: Roger’s wife gives Charlie the briefcase.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Charlie sleeps with Roger’s wife.
Call to Adventure: Roger’s film about the heist.
Refusal: Camp Freddie puts the phone down on him.
Refusal: Bridger turns Charlie down in the toilet.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Bridger tells Freddie to give Charlie a going over; Bridger is into the Queen. Etc
Developing Challenges: Lorna finds Charlie with the girls and Freddie beats him up.
Overcoming Refusal: Bridger sees the news.
Push to the First Threshold: Bridger tells Freddie to green light Charlie’s plan.
Foreshadow of the Foreshadow: needing Professor Simon Peach (Benny Hill).
Meeting Allies and Enemies: Persuading Peach; meeting the crew around the boardroom.
Hero’s Capabilities: this is a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is to work together as a team and that means you do everything I say.
Middle Cave: preparing the cars; crashing the minis; you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off.
Foreshadow of the Inner Cave: Bridger sees the mafia in the film footage.
Inner Cave: the funeral; Bridger warns Charlie about the Mafia.
Physical Separation: leaving for Italy on the ferry.
World of the Transformation / Journey: Italy.
Trial 1: overcoming the mafia on the mountainside.
Trial 2: replacing the computer programming/
Romantic Challenge Conquered: dropping Lorna off.
Foreshadow of the Sword and Atonement: the mafia watch the gold unload.
Departing from the World of the Trials / Leaving for the Sword: remove all the fingerprints.
Developing Characters and Relationships: you’re not going to be sick, you’re not going to have asthma and you’re not going to have asthma etc; Peach following the fat woman.
Push to the Atonement: the gold is unloaded
Wolves Clothing: the English supporter dressed in the supporters colours.
Seizing the Sword: the English supporter triggers the traffic computers to shut off; stealing the Gold.
Near Death Experience: the police ram the doors.
Reward: the cars fall off the “battering ram”; they get away in the minis.
Atonement with the Father: they confront the police.
Apotheosis: they get away from the police.
Magic Flight: still pursued by the mafia; “they must have planned a way out…”
Refusal: difficulty getting into the bus.
Ultimate Boon: they’ve done it Mr Bridger.
Celebration: Bridger greets the audience.
Crossing the Return Threshold: in the bus.
Master of Two Worlds: celebrating in the bus.
Freedom to Live: the bus hangs over the cliff.
FADE OUT:
FADE OUT:
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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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://www.clickok.co.uk/.
