Three reasons why it's time to move beyond the hero in storytelling
Ravinol Chambers
Monk turned Moviemaker | Unlocking The Power Of Storytelling For Impact Funds, B Corps and Purpose-Driven Organisations Globally | Founder, Be Inspired Films - UK B Corp since 2015
by Scott Drummond
The stories we tell have the power to make sense of - and shape - the world around us.
It’s time we looked beyond traditional heroic narratives for a more inclusive form of storytelling, a collective narrative that can bring us together to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.
You may not have realised it yet, but many of the most popular stories that have captivated millions across generations are variations on the same 12-step structure, the Hero’s Journey.
Joseph Campbell studied myths and stories from around the world and concluded in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces that there was a basic pattern of storytelling found in narratives across eras, cultures and geographies. Later the Hollywood executive Christopher Vogler popularised Campbell’s work, calling it the Hero’s Journey.
Stop and have a think about your own favourite books or films.
Chances are that you can already identify the Hero’s Journey structure in some of those, so pervasive has this story arc become.
THE LIMITS OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
The world we live in today is increasingly complex and difficult to make sense of in simplistic terms. Perhaps the Hero’s Journey is an overly romantic view of the world, best suited to the realm of movies.
You only need to turn on your TV or check out your news feed to question the role of the hero in today's narrative and to witness the rise of the collective voice...
- A reality TV show host is President of the USA and continues to destabilise trust in the media through tweets about fake news.
- Millions of people in the UK were convinced that by voting for BREXIT they would be able to ‘take back control’.
- Cities, states, businesses and investors have joined together to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement in the ‘We are still in’ initiative.
- The decentralised grassroots political movement Momentum has grown from nothing to over 25,000 members in less than two years and thrust rank outsider Jeremy Corbyn to the forefront of British politics.
Our world is increasingly shaped by immersive media technologies and proliferating digital platforms that give local and global populations more opportunities to connect and collaborate.
We are moving from an individual narrative to a more connected model of storytelling. From the Hero’s Journey to what Jeff Gomez, CEO of trans-media production studio Starlight Runner, has called the...
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