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 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.

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) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.

and more…

The Hero’s Journey is, in effect, the dominant and most successful pattern for telling effective stories. This pattern is being developed as stories are produced but also, many stories are produced with it as a template. So what’s going on? A number of factors are probably in play, including:

Story and screenwriters are consciously aware of the Hero’s Journey and Transformation and model their work around it.

Story and screenwriters study other successful work that is most relevant to their own and ask the right questions: why is the hero on the bus then? Why does that person get shot at that point in the story? Why does the scenery change there? Why does the hero have new clothes at that point? Why do the heroes in five distinctly different movies get submerged underwater at that point? And so on. As a result of this process, the Hero’s Journey pattern is mirrored.

Certain dynamic and dramatic techniques make more effective stories. These can be found time and again in screenplays, novels, short stories and so on. Again, as a result, the Hero’s Journey pattern is mirrored.

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