188 Stage Heros Journey (monomyth) - Fish Out Of Water, Ordinary Self
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
TRANSFORMATION
Every Hero goes on a Physical Journey, the function of which is to stimulate a Psychological Transformation. It is the undergoing of the Journey that gives the Hero the capacity to conquer those challenges that were previously unconquerable.
In the beginning of the Journey the Hero is an Ordinary Self and at the end of it a New Self. The New Self is demonstrated by a change in attitudes, norms, values, behaviour and clothing. In the beginning the Hero is dressed in one way and at the end another.
In Dances with Wolves (1990), John Dunbar starts the story dressed as a soldier and ends it dressed as an Indian.
In Educating Rita (1983), Rita starts off as a hairdresser and ends up a student.
In Erin Brockovich (2000), Erin starts off as a poor, single Mom and ends up a wealthy, respected lawyer.
(For the Complete 188+ stage Hero’s Journey simply go to http://www.heros-journey.info/ )
ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:
*****Fish out of Water*****
Every Hero must be a Fish out of Water at some point - the essence of every story is Transformation. Commonly, one Fish out of Water stage is upon entrance of the New Domain of the First Threshold. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), the sheepherder tells Jack and Ennis what not do to; don’t order soup; don’t need soup; Jack can’t ride.
*****Ordinary Self*****
There are certain aspects of the Hero’s Ordinary Self that are commonly made explicit, including:
Innate Capabilities. Once we meet the Hero, we learn of his or her capabilities. Often Hero’s have supernatural abilities, which in the modern day translates into them being exceptional at something. In War of the Worlds (2005), Ray Ferrier is excellent at his job - which we know by the way he sensitively handles the load he is lifting at work. In Gladiator (2000), we discover that Maximus is an excellent swordsman in battle.
Challenge Feasibility. One purpose of demonstrating the Hero’s Capabilities (above) is to demonstrate that the challenges he (or she) will face are surmountable. In Gladiator (2000), we believe that Maximus can quickly become a gladiator because we are [early on] exposed to the fact that he is capable in battle and with a sword. In Return of the Jedi (1983), we do not believe that Luke is a Jedi because we were not exposed to the completion of his training. This is a major failing of this movie. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), we believe that Indy is capable of hunting for the Ark because we initially see him retrieve the treasure in South America.
Learn more…
WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!
The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.heros-journey.info/
188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from http://www.story-structure.org/
You can also receive a free sample file by entering your email address at this site.
You can post this article on your web site or blog as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the links to our site URLs remains active.
**********************************
Kal Bishop, MBA
Tags: monomyth