Tag Archives: Joseph Campbell

Why Stories Favor the Fish Out of Water

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Another bias in fiction is what I would call the “fish out of water” bias, which simply means that a story is more likely to be told from an outsider’s perspective than an insider’s. There are a few advantages to … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure: Short-Tension VS Global Tension

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Thomas Mets

Two unrelated parts of my report on three-act structure involved Andrew Stanton, the Writer/ Director of Wall-E, a massive hit, Finding Nemo, another critically acclaimed hit, and John Carter, a legendary flop. Three act structure is simply the way many … Continue reading →

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Three-Act Structure: The Feedback Loop

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Thomas Mets

One critique of three-act structure is that the idea is self-perpetuating. Because there’s an industry of books about the subject, aspiring writers are likely to format their work in this particular way, even if it isn’t otherwise advantageous. George Lucas … Continue reading →

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Three-Act Structure 3.3: The Final Challenge

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Thomas Mets

Due to the sense of acceleration, McKee argues in Story that the last act of the film should be the shortest: possibly 20 minutes or less of a two-hour film. (219) He describes the third act climax is the obligatory … Continue reading →

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Three-Act Structure 3.1: The Exile’s Return

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Thomas Mets

In myth, the third act would be when Jason comes home with the golden fleece. As Campbell writes in The Hero With a Thousand Faces “The first problem of the returning hero is to accept as real, after an experience of … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure 2.3: Belly of the Beast

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Thomas Mets

In Three Uses of the Knife, David Mamet identifies the second act of a film or play with Joseph Campbell’s “Belly of the Beast.” (38) In Jonah’s case, it was literal. As Mamet explains, if Act One is the dream, … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure 1.2: Self-Annihilation

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Thomas Mets

There are two elements to the end of the beginning for a story, according to Campbell. In addition to the crossing of the first threshold, he describes an element of self-annihilation. (91) A biblical example would be Jonah getting swallowed … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure 1.1: The Inciting Incident

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Thomas Mets

In a film, the inciting incident is the moment that kicks everything off. In his book A Hero With a Thousand Faces, it’s what Joseph Campbell refers to as the blunder that starts the fairy tale. Though he thinks there’s a subconscious … Continue reading →

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