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