188 Stage Hero’s Journey - First Threshold Guardian, Crossing The Return Threshold
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 1965 Topps baseball 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
SYMBOLISM
There is far more symbolism in the most successful stories than is given credit. Symbolism communicates stages of the Journey and movement from one state to another. What is does is guide the audience in the required direction and convey subconscious messages.
Examples include:
Water. At the stage of the Near Death Experience, romantic lovers part in the rain (50 First Dates, 2004), protagonists are tortured with water (Green Mile, 1999), protagonists happen to be on vessels that sink (War of the Worlds, 2005) and
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