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Hollywood knows something.

They know the recurring stories found in myths. They utilize the structure of the Hero’s Journey which is based on mythological narratives. They capture the character archetypes that hold the audience enthralled. THE MATRIX takes advantage of the Hero’s Journey. It is also the retelling of the mythic theme of Redemption by a Savior Hero. WALL-E not only looks at the mythical nature of Paradise and the Wasteland, it also has as a backdrop the mythical theme of Exile and Return. COLD MOUNTAIN is the story of the Soldier’s Journey Home; a transparent retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. MOONSTRUCK is a re-telling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid; the original Beauty and the Beast story. In addition to industrial espionage, Inception incorporates the Father Quest as the means to plant “inception” into Robert Fletcher Jr’s mind as we are three levels deep into the dream. Guillermo del Toro openly admits, that PAN’S LABYRINTH  relies heavily on Little Red Riding Hood where Captain Vidal’s antagonist character is based on the Big Bad Wolf.

In the 3-session course, Mythic Imagination in Film, you too will learn what Hollywood already knows. You will learn the themes, structure and character archetypes that are the underlying tenets of the narrative arts. Through in-class exercises, you will learn how to apply them to your dramatic writing.

Taught by local mythologist Dr. Margo Meck.

Class Schedule for 2012 will be announced soon.