O Drumline a Harlem Drummer Is Recruited for a School Band Competition

CONCEP 40 T Character and Conflict Comprise the Hero’s Journey

One of the phrases you’ll often hear used in screenwriting is “the hero’s journey.” What this refers to is the path that a protagonist follows – oftentimes reluctantly – in order to become worthy of our praise as spectators and subsequently provide himself with the validation that he’s a good person. This issue of redemption figures prominently in this awareness, giving us characters who have allowed their flaws – whether real or imagined – to define their entire value to humanity. This is based on the classical mythical structure developed by Joseph Campbell, an American writer whose studies of folklore and archetypes showed that heroes are commonly thrust into circumstances that force them to confront demons from their past and/or inhibitions that have prevented them from moving forward in their lives. Interestingly, however, it’s not the actually success or failure of the challenge itself that wins us over; it’s the struggle – the journey – which inspires us. This journey is especially poignant in coming-of-age stories, allowing us to glimpse the building blocks of a foundation that will later shape and influence a teen or tween’s life. The following examples provide good material for study and comparison: o Drumline – a Harlem drummer is recruited for a school band competition o Save the Last Dance – an aspiring teen ballerina feels responsible for her mother’s death. o Little Women – the March sisters struggle to keep their family and their community together during the Civil War o The Wonder Years (TV series) – growing up in the confusion of the 1960s, as seen through the eyes of Kevin Arnold o She’s All That – a high school hottie takes a page from Pygmalion

LOOK & LEARN

Frank Capra’s Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, examines the concept of the hero’s journey in reverse fashion. Specifically, we first meet protagonist George Bailey at a bridge on a snowy night. Everything in his small-town world has gone from bad to worse and he sees no solution but to escape his problems by jumping into the freezing waters below and ending it all. His act of desperation, however, is interrupted by the arrival of a bumbling angel who is on a vision quest of his own – to prove that every life has value and that George has accomplished far more as a human being than he has ever given himself credit for.

BRAINSTORMER AnswerS the question below IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. 1. Not every story is destined for a happy ending. Many movies that stay with us, however, are those in which the main character grew stronger as a result of not getting what he or she wanted. Choose any film that you feel fits this description and explain how the protagonist emerged as a better person.

Screenwriting for Teens, (Hamlett) pp. 79-80