Build a Screenplay from the Ground Up

The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.

Structure in its many forms, increases the quantity and quality of creative output. The golden rule is that originality emerges from structure:

a) Short term goals (incremental productivity) produce more output than a "do your best" approach. With specific regard to creative writing, writing four pages a day completes a words-on-paper first draft screenplay in one month. A "do your best" or "waiting for inspiration" approach can take months or years. Witness the untold number of people with unfinished manuscripts under their beds.

b) Simply being prolific improves performance and quality. The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.

c) Simply being prolific improves performance and quality. The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.

d) Structure helps clearly identify complex problems and triggers incubation. Problems incubate until answers become apparent. Incubation tends to result in richer insights.

e) Engagement increases the incidence and frequency of problem identification and thus the incidence and frequency of insight.

There are two contrary arguments: a) time pressure stimulates creativity and b) time pressure reduces creativity. Both are true.

Time pressure increases creative output. By forcing idea production, setting goals and incremental deadlines, a greater number of ideas are produced than if a do your best approach is taken. If a leader asks participants in an idea generating session to address a problem and think of at least 5 ideas every half an hour, then 80 ideas are produced by one individual and 1600 are produced by 20 individuals at the end of an average working day. This level of output is conscious and would not be produced normally.

Time pressure encourages prolific production and therefore the probability of generating good ideas increases. It can be said with great confidence that quality of output is closely related to quantity. The best single creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.

Forcing output pushes individuals along the experience curve, refines their methodology, builds competencies and knowledge and improves performance. Screenwriters know that they are likely to produce more, better quality work faster if they set themselves a schedule of a certain number of pages per day.

Motivation is critical to creativity. If a person is intrinsically motivated, time pressure may be a synergistic extrinsic motivator. If the person is not intrinsically motivated then it may turn out to be a non-synergistic extrinsic motivator, which reduces the level of engagement in the endeavour.

Short-term time pressure can be negative in that it does not allow the mind to engage in the endeavour at various cognitive levels. It does not allow rich ideas to formulate through the process of incubation. Intrinsically motivated individuals will benefit from short term time pressure and goals (sets cognitive forces in motion) and will generate richer ideas through incubation over the longer term.

The following SUMMARY uses Million Dollar Baby Academy Award Winner Best Film 2005 as an example. It should be noted that there are two heroes in this story, a) Maggie and b) Frankie:

Call to Adventure where the hero is pushed to resolve a challenge. Maggie needs to escape her White Trash roots and Frankie needs to resolve issues concerning his daughter.

Refusal of the Call where there is refusal, resistance, warning and foreboding. Frankie refuses to train Maggie.

The Supernatural Aid where a mentor encourages the hero along the path. Eddie (Morgan Freeman) begins to help Maggie with her training and simultaneously guides Frankie towards her. As is usual, the supernatural aid has a challenge of his own (Danger Barch).

First Threshold where a point of no return is crossed. Maggie persists in the gym. There is no dissuading her or going back for her.

Physical Separation (Belly of the Whale) where the hero physically separates from his Old World and heads into the Transformation. Willie leaves Frankie, who has little else to do but train Maggie.

Transformation (Road of Trials) where the hero significantly, but not completely, transforms. Maggie becomes a professional boxer.

The Ideal and the Seizing of the Sword where the hero faces a difficult choice and journey to (often) the heart of the antagonism. Maggie buys her family a house and Frank takes on the role of father.

Rebirth Through Death where the Hero is reborn. Eddie saves Danger Barch from the gym bully; Maggie doesn't know what to do about the bear.

Atonement with the Father where the hero confronts the obstacle to the apotheosis. Maggie loses to the blue Bear.

Apotheosis where the hero has the illumination. Maggie should have listened to Frank and protected herself.

Refusal of the Return where the hero is repulsed by his Old Self or, on a practical level, there is refusal on some level. Frankie refuses to go back to the gym.

Magic Flight where the hero attempts to escape from the antagonism or, for some reason, is unable to confront it. Frankie takes Maggie away and attempts to find doctors who can reverse the situation.

Rescue for Without where the hero is pulled back toward his or her challenges. Maggie's family return; Frankie wants to replace them and resists their arrival.

Crossing the Return Threshold where the hero confronts the antagonism. Maggie loses her legs and asks Frankie to kill her.

Master of the Two Worlds where the antagonism is defeated. Frankie kills Maggie.

Freedom to Live where the hero is freed from the antagonism. Frankie does not return to the gym.

The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Heros Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/

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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/

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