The Hero's Journey > Overview
OVERVIEW:
Dr. Joseph Campbell, a comparative mythologist and scholar, studied the world's myths, stories and scriptures and found that they all shared common elements and, in many ways, told the same story. This monomyth is also known as the Hero's Journey, which may already be familiar. Since movies are the mythic tales of today, it makes sense that they, too, would follow the same mythic elements. This section is not to analyze Campbell or his book - that, everyone should do on their own by reading the book - but to take his concepts that he so clearly outlined and look at them in context of movies. First, we will look at the Journey, apply it to examples from movies and other stories, and then illustrate how you, as an actor or filmmaker, can directly apply these principles to your craft. And, for all of us, knowing more about the Journey will tell us more about ourselves, because after all, the real Hero's Journey is the one each of us takes in this journey of life.
Joseph Campbell's
"The Hero with
a Thousand Faces."
orig. 1949 |
"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." (p. 23) |
 |
In its simplest form, the Hero's Journey is in three sections.
Each is marked by a rite of passage (see quote above):
1. DEPARTURE (or Separation)
This is where the hero is in the home world and gets a "call to adventure." The call is initially refused, then accepted.
2. INITIATION
Crossing the threshold into the new and strange world of the adventure, the hero faces trials and obstacles, encounters a lover and learns from a mentor. There is an appointment with death, which transfroms the hero into his/her greater Self, one that can now succeed in the final conflict.
3. RETURN
The return also begins with a refusal - the strange world has become familiar - but still, the hero must cross the final threshold and return to the home world to share what s/he has learned and brought back from the adventure. |
Hero's Journey and the 3-Act Structure
Basically, the three stages of the Hero's Journey relate directly to the standard structure of a three act screenplay. In a hypothetical football movie, for instance, Act I might be the training camp, Act II would be the regular of the season, and Act III would be the final championship game. Or, in a love story, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl over. These examples might seem over simplified, but they are clear and so are the stages of the Hero's Journey and the 3 Acts.
Act I (DEPARTURE) in most movies takes place in the main character's home world. This is usually their last day as they know it - something is about to change - and after accepting the call, the hero prepares for the departure. Also, for a departure to take place, it's good to know where one is departing from!
The Act I turning point would be the threshold between departure and initiation. For example, in Star Wars, Luke initially refuses the call, then accepts the call to adventure after his relatives were killed. Entering the cantina, there is an actual threshold guardian (that keeps droids out) and so begins his adventure in the strange world.
Act II (INITIATION) is the long part in the middle of a movie and is often the hardest to write, but Campbell's monomyth can help move things along. Initiation is a term for ritual or rite of passage that one must undergo to enter and survive the world of the adventure. Initially there's a threshold guardian that requires some sort of fee or task to gain entry. In many films, this is when the love story often begins. And, there's usually a mentor, which means "other parent" that teaches the hero the ways of the adventure world in order to succeed. Then, there is an appointment with death. In most films, this can be an actual death or a near-death, but something that is devastating and causes the hero to give up. This surrender of self, then brings in asupernatural power, and by dying to his/her old self, the hero is resurrected into the greater Self, one that can succeed in the final battle.
Act III (RETURN) Having survived death and newly re-energized, the hero returns to battle, this time to win. Everything s/he has learned will come to bear in the final conflict. In a love story, this is the big part where the lover proves his/her love for his/her beloved. In war movies, this is an actual battle, and the memory of a fallen brother can assist the soldiers in reigning victorious. As an epilogue, the hero returns to the home world, the one from the beginning, forever changed, and brings the victory and wisdom home for the benefit of all.
* Actors can use these stages of the journey to keep track of where their character is emotionally, especially since most productions are filmed out of sequence.
* For writers and directors, the book, The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler is essential reading and an industry standard manual on the Hero's Journey in regards to screenwriting. Highly recommended!
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