From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters at www.managing-creativity.com/
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…
Syriana (2005) deconstructed
An incredibly complicated structure, primarily because there are four heroes and lots of intercutting.
FADE IN: Hero 1’s Ordinary World: Arash struggles to find and keep work; Pakistanis fighting in an Arab country.
Hero 2’s Ordinary World: Bob negotiating the arms deal with the Iranians.
Inciting Incident / Call to Adventure: Bob sells the bombs; the bomb is given to an unknown; Bob follows the bomb behind the curtain.
Hero 3’s Ordinary World: Bennett Holiday is told what to do by Dean Whiting.
Meeting the Supernatural Aids and Heralds: Jimmy from Connex explains that Connex wants to buy Killen; Bennett ’s boss introduces him.
Call to Adventure: Bennett ’s boss tells him to solve any problem; keep chaos in the Middle East.
Meeting Hero 4 in his Ordinary World: Bryan at home with his wife and kid.
Context: the newsreel and the press interviews explaining the merger.
Developing Hero 4 and Allies: Bryan at work in front of the cameras; on the phone with his wife.
Call to Adventure: Bryan told to meet the Emir by his boss.
Refusal: Bryan doesn’t want to go.
Pushed Forward / Overcoming Refusal: Bryan forced to go by his boss.
Inciting Incident / First Threshold: Arash and his Dad are sacked.
Supernatural Aid: Arash with his Dad.
Hero 1’s Ordinary World developed: in the Pakistani compound.
Supernatural Aids / New World: Langley; Bob’s bosses discuss him.
Interdiction: Bob is told not to bring up the missing missile.
Overcoming Interdiction: Bob can’t help himself at the meeting.
Inner Challenge: Bob with his son at Princeton.
First Threshold: Bryan arrives in Marbella.
Creatures of the First Threshold: the hookers; the kids playing.
Supernatural Aid: the Emir and his son; thanking the Chinese.
Developing Hero 4 and Allies: Bryan with his wife.
Foreshadow of the Physical Separation: Bryan worried about his son.
Threshold Guardian: Arash asks Farooq to introduce him.
Threshold Guardian: Bryan talks to the stranger whilst waiting for the Emir.
The Emir’s people hear his proposition in the lobby.
Forced from the First Threshold: Bryan’s son dies in the pool.
New World: Bennett arrives home.
Supernatural Aid: Bennett ’s Dad.
Inner Challenge: Bennett ’s Dad tries to tell him to stay away from the corrupt life.
First Threshold: Arash asks the Arab for a job.
Belly of the Whale / Pushed to the Physical Separation: the Islamic school is mentioned in the conversation on the bunk beds.
Physically Separation: Arash gets beaten up by the guards.
Belly of the Whale: Bryan’s son’s burial.
Belly of the Whale: Bryan, his wife and other son awake at night.
Pushed to the Trials: Bryan told that Prince Nasir called again.
Outer Cave/ Trial: Bennett interviewed at the Dept. of Justice.
Middle Cave/ Trial: Bennett thinks he can bribe the Dept. of Justice man; playing squash with his boss.
Inner Cave/ Trial: Bennett meets Whiting and his boss; they’ve greased the Dept. of Justice’s man.
New World of the Transformation: Bryan arrives in the Emir’s World.
Bryan Transforming: “..you sound strange…”
Transformation 1: Arash eating and being taught in the Islamic School.
Foreshadow of the Resolution: Whiting bribes the Emir’s son.
Pushed to the Road of Trials: Bob told to go to Beirut; not to mention the missing missile.
Foreshadow of the Resolution: the competition between the two sons is made explicit.
Trial: Bryan meets Prince Nasir; gains his trust; draws his idea in the sand.
Trial: Bennett meets Jimmy on his ranch.
Romantic Challenge: Bob at the bar discussing his soon-to-be divorced wife.
Warning / Meeting the Mentor: Bob asks Stan if it’s safe.
Journey to the World of the Transformation: Bob arrives in Beirut.
Trial / Outer Cave: Bob is searched; is taken to meet the Hezbollah head.
Trial / Middle Cave: Bob in the waiting room.
Trial / Inner Cave: Bob gets an audience with the Hezbollah head.
Transformation 2: Arash playing football with his pals; discussing the teachings.
Transformation 3: talking with the Sheik Agiza in the school.
Trial / Outer Cave: Bob meets Mussawi by the ocean.
Trial: Bryan gets a call on his cell phone whilst the Prince speaks.
Trial / Middle Cave: Bob watching the Prince; Bob gets in the lift with the Prince and Bryan.
Trial / Inner Cave: Bob watches the Prince from his room.
Trial / Outer Cave: Mussawi’s men capture Bob.
Meeting the Oracle: Bennett in front of his computer.
Journey to the Sword: Bennett told to pick something up.
Seizing the Sword: Bennett gets the note.
Trial / Middle Cave: Bob gets tortured by Mussawi.
Seizing the Sword: Sheik Agiza shows Arash et al the bomb.
Trial / Inner Cave: Bob wakes up after the torture.
Meeting the Oracle: Bob’s bosses told that Damascus thinks Bob was sent to assassinate Prince Nasir.
Journey to the Sword: Bob’s CIA bosses told to distance themselves.
Seizing the Sword: Bob is interviewed by the CIA; turns his passports over.
Near Death Experience: Bennett uncovers the Killen bribe.
Seizing the Sword / Outer Cave: Prince Nasir is refused an audience with his father.
Seizing the Sword / Middle Cave: Nasir asks Bryan what his father and brother are thinking.
Seizing the Sword / Inner Cave: Nasir wants to create a better country; but he can’t get past his father and the US President.
Near Death Experience: Julie not happy that he’s profiting from the death of their son; Julie’s going back to the States.
Rebirth through Death Experience: Arash listens to the videoed wishes of the suicide bomber.
Reward: Bennett is given the lecture about corruption; corruption is why we win.
Atonement with the Father: Bob can’t get to see his bosses.
Apotheosis: the State Dept. guy won’t intefere.
Atonement with the Father: Bennett confronts his Dad.
Seizing the Sword: Bob realises he’s being watched.
Apotheosis: Bob’s bosses disown him.
Atonement with the Father: Arash doubts his suicide mission.
Atonement with the Father: Prince Nasir told that he won’t inherit the throne.
Apotheosis: Prince Nasir drums up support in the circle meeting.
Ultimate Boon: Bob meets with Stan.
Red Herring: Whiting gets the call from security while asleep.
Goodbye to the Old Self: Arash says goodbye to his Father.
Apotheosis: Bennett needs the illusion of Due Diligence; Jimmy gives him someone higher up.
Magic Flight: Bob arrives in the Arab country; in the car.
Apotheosis: Nasir has the support of the generals for the coup.
Ultimate Boon: the CIA are given Nasir’s car description; they track it.
Foreshadow of the Final Conflict: Bennett in the lift with his boss.
Ultimate Boon: Bennett meets Leland.
Magic Flight: Bryan driving with the Prince delayed by the goats.
Final Conflict: Bennett defies his boss.
Foreshadow of the Resolution: the meeting at the opening of the pipeline.
Obstacles / Refusal / Resistance: Bob searching for Nasir’s car.
Crossing the Return Threshold: Bryan lets Nasir and his wife ride together.
Leland celebrates the merger.
Rescue for Without: Bob sees Nasir’s convoy.
Crossing the Return Threshold: Bob crosses the desert to the other road.
Master of Two Worlds: Bob stops the Prince’s convoy.
The CIA fire the missile.
Master of Two Worlds: Nasir recognises Bob.
Resolution: Prince Nasir and Bob killed.
Master of Two Worlds: Jimmy et al congratulate Bennett; the new Emir is present at the merger celebration.
Freedom to Live: Bryan walks away.
Apotheosis: Arash completes his suicide mission.
Ultimate Boon: Arash’s video.
Freedom to Live: Bryan returns home.
Bob’s pictures are removed.
Freedom to Live: Bennett returns home.
Kal Bishop
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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://managing-creativity.com/
The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/
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