2. Tests, Allies, Enemies
-Vogler’s point of view vs Joseph Campbell.
● The hero is now in a new special world where he will
face a series of trails to build his skills for the
ordeal.
● This is similar to when Harry Potter is told he is a
Wizard and is going to Hogwarts.
“Dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms,
where he must survive a succession of trials.” -Joseph
Campbell
3. Propp and Todorov and Act 2
Todorov came up with the theory that in most
films they would follow 5 steps.
● State of Equilibrium
● Disruption of that order by an event
● Recognition
● Repair Disruption
● New Equilibrium
Propp had the theory that certain kinds
of characters would always crop up in
stories. Hero Villain Heroine/Princess
Father Donor
and the Mentor
4. Tests Allies and Enemies
“The first threshold is the moment the wheels leave the
ground, and the plane begins the fly. If you’ve ever
flown before, it may take a while to adjust to being in
the air. We’ll describe that process of adjustment in
the next phase of the Hero’s Journey: Tests, allies,
enemies.”-Vogler
“It takes a great
deal of bravery
to stand up to
your enemies,
but just as
much to
stand up
to our
friends” You’ve got a
friend in me
5. Tests and challenges
The “tests” are the most important function
of this period.
● The hero will be put through a series of
trials and challenges which are to
prepare the Hero for the ordeal.
6. Allies
● While the Hero is looking for information they
may find new friends or Allies along the way.
This normally occurs in the Watering hole.
● Sidekicks are also introduced and these are
usually an ally that stays with the Hero and
supports their adventure.
● Teams can also formed during the testing stage.
8. Enemies
● During the testing stage Heros can also make enemies.
● Sometimes they may encounter the shadow or servants.
● The Enemies can include the villains or antagonists and
their underlings.
● Rivals are a special type of enemy, usually the hero’s
competition.
9. New Rules and Contrasting
worlds
The new world that the hero has entered will
have its own set of rules which the hero will
have to learn quickly as well as the audience.
These new rules come into play, and are
directly linked to how the hero is tested.
10. Approach The Inmost Cave
The Hero has now adjusted to the new world and is now
seeking its heart. On the way they find a mysterious
zone with its own threshold guardians, agendas and
tests.
● This is when they make final preparations for the
central ordeal of the adventure.
Functions of Approach
● Modern storytelling, certain special functions fall
into this zone.
● As the heroes near the gates deep within the special
world they make plans and get information on the
enemy and get ready for entering the no-man’s land.
11. You can enter the inmost cave twice! Story arcs might play
with the narrative and allow for a more interesting story.
The more you play with your audience the more interested
they will be! It’s called enigma, a theory created by Roland
Barthes. The less you tell your audience, the more they will
pay attention and be interested in the plot!
12. Courtship and Bold Approach
● The Approach can be for courtship rituals, a
romance may develop here, bonding a hero and
beloved before they encounter the main ordeal.
● Confident heroes will take the bold approach of
going up to the castle door and demand to be let
in.
● The approach is often the best time to get
prepared for the ordeal.
13. The Ordeal
“The Hero stands in the the deepest chamber of the Inmost
Cave, facing the greatest challenge and the most fearsome
opponent yet.”
No matter what the hero came for,
Death is now the only thing
staring back.
Sauron and Voldemort are
very similar characters,
both often referred to as
the “Dark Lord”. Throughout
both franchises there is a
build up of the true
villain of the story, when
finally the hero must face
their greatest enemy and
the ordeal occurs.
Hey it’s sorcha :) I’ll be writing notes and stuff down here for you to read :) Basically for this slide just talk very generally about the chapters we were given and how vogler used Joesph campbell’s work to create a guide for screenwriters. Joesph Campbell’s biggest influence to Vogler was “The Hero with a Thousand faces”. It might also be good to mention that vogler wrote this book while working for Disney. Vogler broke the book up into character archetypes to the stages. We were given the stages at the very start/beginning of act 2.
The world doesn’t always have to change dramatically, it can have a change of emotion. ( this is different from enviroment or settting) It can have a change of energy. Vogler stresses this concept, talking about how the speical world and the ordinary world are almost always opposites. You can talk a wee bit about how crossing the first threshold was like the bridge travelling from act one to act two. Tests allies and enemies is the beginning of act 2 and is why it’s so important. You need to feel a shift in energy in order for it to be clear that the world has changed. (At this point you can start talking about Todorov and his equilibrium theory. This point is around the disturbing the equilibrium and recognition of the disruption.
Oisin Cash said something the other day which really resonated with me- that Vogler isn’t form. It’s Formula. This structure can be manipulated because it’s flexible. As soon as he said it, I stopped trying to follow the structure word for word and thought more abstractly about the concept. As soon as he said it I wrote it down in my sketch book as I didn’t want to forget it. I told you this before lol but I’m just bringing it up again as I feel it’s a really important point. -sorcha
This slide kind of speaks for itself. Anything more you wanna add is going to be in this slideshow = http://www.slideshare.net/Katrinabrookes/todorovs-narrative-theory-24244633 -sorch ^^
That quote up there I just took from the previous chapter that lead onto this chapter, as I thought it was a great transition. Dumbledore's quote is particularly special as it intertwines testing and allies together. -S
Story tellers use this phrase to test the hero, putting her through a series of trials and challenges that are meant to prepare her for greater ordeals ahead. Joesph campbell illustrates this stage with the take of psyche, who is put through a fairy-tale-like series of tests before winning back her lost love, Cupid. This tale has also been widely intrepretated by robert A johnston in his book on feminine psychology, “she”
Psyche is given impossible tasks, in which she needs the help of allies in order to over-come them. sometimes the tests are just a continuation of the mentors training. -Sorcha
Threshold guardians are the faces on the door, finn is the obvious hero. In the song he also talks about the relationship the hero has with the other characters. This is very interesting as allies can have sub categories, such as Jake being like a mentor as well as a buddy, Princess Bubblegum being a shapeshifter and Marceline as the anti-hero. -Sorcha :)
sasuke and naruto, ash and gary oak bonnie and kim possible are all examples of rivals! A special kind of enemy who is the hero’s equal in many ways. It’s more of a competition than an actual battle. They don’t have to be evil either. A rival’s purpose in the storyline is usually to be someone against whom the hero can test their strengths and aspire to beat, thus improving their skills along their journey (see pokemon Red) -Sorcha
chihiro in spiried away’s world is completely contrasting to her old one. It literally tests her, as she has to pick her parents out of the random pigs in a farm
kingdom hearts, the fantasy rpg, is basically a whole game based on the hero’s encounters with different disney worlds.
This is an example of how stories can be told in the digital age! -Sorcha
This is to show how Vogler’s system is not formula! It’s more of a subjective guide! Like a form, NOT formula. Story tellers can play around with narrative to escape cliches and create more interesting stories. Using Big Hero Six as the most recent example, Hiro needs to approach the in most cave twice!
Hey sorcha here again, Siobhan I think it’d be a nice idea to add some fallen heros :) I’ll add Tangled, Narina, snow white and Ash from the first pokemon movie :) Jesus seems pretty good too?
