The iPad, for all its deficiencies (which are plenty), is a device that has caused all the major companies to follow in suit with their own tablet devices. But Apple has something that makes theirs different: complete fascist control over their closed system. Everything that runs on an iPad must be approved and stamped with Steve Jobs’ apple shaped seal. But in these times of growing technological complexities, the masses appreciate simplicity. It just works. After all, centagenarians, cats, and corgis naturally know how to use the device without reading the instructions. While critics can list page after page of missing features, the large number of iPad sales reflect how little the public truly cares. As long as it “just works”. But is it because Apple fans are simply sheep buying the newest toy, or is it something more? We must dig deeper. The words of Marcus Aurelius ring true: “Look within. Let neither the peculiar quality of anything nor its value escape thee.” Apple at its core seeks to simplify the user experience. It wants to take the headache out of computing. It wants to ensure that we are able to accomplish the essentials with speed, efficiency, and style.

But I hate Apple. I hate them so much. This whole Adobe/Apple war is getting out of hand. Apple is blocking Flash, and even Flash apps, citing that they are a drain on resources. While their arguments have some merit, their handling of the situation is becoming pretty infantile. Steve Jobs’ ego seems to grow daily, and it may only be a matter of time before efficiency gives way to heavy handed, corporate fascism. We can see this in both the restructuring of iPhone developer requirements and from its increasingly strict censorship of what Apple deems “inappropriate” apps (yet allows Safari to browse objectionable material anyway). Do you really want Apple to tell you what you can and cannot do with your device.

The growing number of Apple hipsters is getting a bit annoying. I don’t really care if you buy shiny toys, but don’t act like you are better than me because of it. Remember when people used to call their phone a cellphone? Now it’s an “iPhone”. Have you seen my iPhone? My friends always try to show off their latest app, their newest game, but never seem to be able to hold a conversation on the phone longer than 3 minutes because of dropped calls. Surprising how this smartphone can’t even make calls properly.

And don’t get me started on their god awful pricing. At times, they can charge upwards of 80 percent premium for similarly specced PC products. People tout the lowest capacity iPad as 499, but with 3G (to me, a necessity) it goes for 630, plus 30 dollars a month in fees. Not such a good deal, anymore (But hey, when you anchor 999 to an audience, 630 sounds like a steal). I’ll go over pricing in the future, and how Apple milks your purchase month after month (with a smile on your face).

Their products are becoming less and less innovative (the iPad? A big ipod, really?), which is predictable given their current position in the market. They are the top dog, eating up market share faster than a fat guy at Hometown Buffet. Why fix something that is obviously not broke. And out in the boonies, Microsoft has become the new underdog, trying to redefine the game through advancement in user interface and user experience. With it’s new Windows 7 Phone Series, and its rumored Courier tablet, Microsoft is becoming what Apple used to be—a visionary company that seeks to improve rather than to rehash. The tables have turned, and honestly, I have Apple to thank for it.

Competition is good. Even though I hate Apple, and will probably never buy any of their products (though I may consider it if the iPad gets a pressure sensitive pen stylus for drawing in the future), I have to thank them for waking up its competitors and beginning a new surge of technology that will shape our day to day lives. Either that or blow us all to hell.

When I refer to Generation Y, I like to think that it encompasses people under 30 as of today. This is in relation to the Baby Boom Generation (BB) 1945-1964 and Generation X(GenX) 1964-1980.

In my time working in retail, the food industry, and corporate offices, the same patterns began to arise: BB’s and GenX’s have similar work ethic, workplace practices and business models. But there was something odd to me: Even hard working GenY’s were being treated with condescension, great ideas not heard, and motivation was being wasted needlessly. It seemed to me that management as a whole has not discovered the way to fully tap GenY’s potential. Management’s hard headed loyalty to traditional motivators (punishment, simplification, bonuses) did not seem to work as well on GenY’s. To top it all off, GenY’s “blatant disregard” of the rules of conduct in the workplace deemed them incorrigible and inefficient. But I disagree. I believe GenY’s are an evolution of work—and management needs to learn how to properly utilize us.

The most successful companies (Google, Apple) are noticeably the exception to this, and it is my belief that some of this is due to their nurturing of horizontal structure, something GenY’s more heartily accept. Rather than going up the chain with an idea (put it in the idea box, Sam, if it’s good I’ll show my boss and take credit) they allow one on one conversations with higher ups (in pay only) and foster creativity and brainstorming. As a generation that has grown up with the internet, conversation and sharing ideas has become an innate desire. We long to have our voices heard (Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, blogs in general), and we are disheartened when we are shot down by red tape and bureaucracy. This fuels the self-fulfilling prophecy that management has placed upon us. We are shut down, then criticized for lack of motivation. Take a hint from 3M or Google: Our ideas are good, let us tell you them.

We can handle more work, if you’ll just let us. I’ve noticed that higher ups refuse to delegate responsibility because of lack of experience, or some snooty higher-than-thou attitude. Rather than make all it’s important decisions in upper management behind the large wooden doors of a boardroom, many successful businesses delegate their problems to their employees. Google’s famous twenty percent time. Google allows employees twenty percent of their work time to work on their own projects. This has allowed them to rectify many of the problems that users have voiced, all without having to hold a board meeting to fix the problem. Allow us the freedom to help solve your problems, and you will be rewarded for it.

our company better. The caveat here is: we don’t consider it “our company” if we have no connection to it. Is it any wonder why the best companies to work for are also the most successful? When we feel a connection to a company, we want to see it succeed. Zappos is known for offering a thousand dollar bonus to new employees if they quit. Why? They are looking for people who are committed to the job. Rare is the person who takes the offer, however. This is because of the environment Zappos has developed for their employees. It rewards creativity, and seeks to stimulate the workforce rather than whip it into command. For better or worse, technology has had its effect on GenY. The internet, video games, and television necessitate GenY’s need to have external motivation in order to function at their full potential. Rather than fight technology’s tangential effects on the workforce, embrace it. Make work a stimulating experience, and you will be rewarded with it.

GenY isn’t without its faults. We’re irreverent, bawdy, we come in late, we don’t like suits that much, we like to surf the internet. We’re not perfect. But we do have our strengths. We are creative. We can solve sophisticated problems.We can work well together. We want our company to succeed. The work environment will change eventually, like it or not. The question is which companies will be left behind in the archaic bureaucracies of the past and which will embrace GenY’s and their quirks and move forward into the future.

Is this right, and could it happen here in America?

Depending on your perspective on the nature and purpose of law, your answer would vary. Many people in this country would say, hell yes, this is right! Any form of child pornography, even virtual /animated, is immoral and therefore illegal. People who watch this stuff are pedophiles or pedophiles-to-be and deserve to be locked up before they can rape my children.

This is what I think: Banning virtual kiddie porn is against the spirit of American law, and should never, ever happen.

Disclaimer: Now before you call the popo on my ass, know this much. I don’t watch or support kiddie porn, real or animated. I think it’s sick and deviant, and anyone who watches it is pretty much a pervert. What, what, what??! Isn’t that psychotically hypocritical? Let me explain.

It is my belief that America is built on an amoral legal system. We are a disestablishmentarianist government, we do not believe in a state church and try to distance ourselves from meddling with religious affairs. This suggests that our laws cannot be based on a particular religion’s moral code, though admittedly, our legal system isn’t a perfect vacuum, so legislation with obvious moral color has, and will continue to be, passed. Though certain individuals, erm parties even, seem to believe otherwise, America was built on law that was amoral. The Constitution was structured loosely and broadly in order to encompass the ideas of all religions, nationalities, and ideas, as long as the actions taken by these individuals did not infringe on the freedoms of anybody else. This is where we can find support for my argument: In the use of palpable harm as a measurement of infringement of personal rights of individuals.

Palpable harm is a real harm: emotional or physical, that is caused by an action or event. Though there is some stretch to this measure (Did that naked guy running through the street really cause palpable harm?), there is definitely a limit to its use. Back in the crazy fucked up 80’s, we had the case of Bower vs. Hardwick, wherein two gay guys were busted for having sex within the confines of a home, with the curtains drawn and the door closed. They were charged with sodomy (illegal in that state). The Supreme Court upheld this fucked up arrest, saying that nowhere in the Constitution did it allow (paraphrased) “butt fucking as a universal inalienable right under the Constitution”. The Court underestimated the righteous fury of gay men scorned. Seventeen long years later, Lawrence vs. Texas overturned this decision. Pretty much the same case as before, two gay guys doing it in a room, except it was even more fucked up this time because someone called in a robbery (he fucking knew they were having sex) in progress, just to stop these gays from making butt love. In a stunning 6-3 decision, the Court stated under the 14th amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses, there is no legitimate state interest in banning sodomy, there is no palpable harm caused by consensual sex behind closed doors, and essentially: stop whining about mental images, you fucking pansies (I’m pretty sure he actually said this). Imagination does not create palpable harm. Yes, if the two gay guys were butt nekkid on the front porch with bright neon arrows pointing into their rectums, besides being completely psychotic, it would be illegal. Sex behind closed doors? Hey, let em do their thing. Imagined harm is not palpable harm. Just ‘cause I imagine two sweaty muscular dudes playing pocket pool with each other doesn’t mean they should be arrested. Now onto child porn.

First let’s talk about the difference between real child porn and virtual child porn. Real child porn causes palpable harm. How? Well, besides the little child getting abused in the video/picture, if you buy it, view it, give money to the person who made it somehow (advertisements etc.), you perpetuate abuse and create a real and palpable harm. Virtual porn, on the other hand, creates no palpable harm. No child is abused when pictures are drawn, and giving the hentai artist money won’t directly cause children to be hurt.

But Sally, what about those pedos who watch kiddie hentai, won’t this fuel their carnal desires to predate younglings? Well, the same can be said for violence, sex, and drugs in movies, video games, music, art…just because you see it, doesn’t necessarily make you more likely to do it. I love violent video games, but you don’t see me stabbing people with samurai swords.

If there is no one being physically harmed, and no one is being emotional harmed(no one is forcing you to view such objectional content), there is no palpable harm. We can’t punish the few in favor of the many cases that this decision would cause. Similar legislation has recently been overturned, so I am not alone in this. There are more complex ways of arguing the same point (rational basis, and strict scrutiny tests), but this is the simplest way I can put it.

Kiddie porn: bad. Banning something that does not cause palpable harm: also bad.

Hopefully you can see the broader implications of what this case means. E.g. Hey what else doesn’t cause palpable harm? *Smokes a J*

I woke up hungry. Maybe it was the drinking binge I had the night before, or maybe it was the purging that followed. Regardless of why, I knew one thing. Lomo Saltado. I had to have it. That sautéed beef served with my two favorite starches: rice and French fries, covered with this savory meat juice which marinated the red onion and tomato that flavored the dish. It’s a dish that was made for me by some dirty wizard psychic years ago, who had divined my favorite foods from a bloodied chicken and spat out words then foreign to me: lomo saltado. It was the first dish that threw me into the delightfully diverse world of Peruvian cuisine. I picked up my phone and called Mario’s, who deliver. Turns out their delivery driver got carjacked by some crazy “Chinaman” as he so plainly put it. He had struck from behind with some blunt instrument, then got in the car and drove off. That’s too bad, I said. About what? The Chinaman, I reminded him. Oh, don’t worry we got a good look at him. Eyes rolled. Lemme guess, narrow eyes, black hair, toothy grin, kinda short, grabbing a math book? Yeah, how’d you know? He must have heard a dial tone. Let’s go to the non-racist place today. So I grabbed my backpack and headed off to Los Balcones, located a stone’s throw from the Hollywood area.

I figure, hey I’ll take the subway, it’ll be quicker. So I walk into Union Station and notice, hey, it smells a little less uriney today, it’s a good sign. They must be using a new cleaner. I wait for the train by a guy talking to his invisible dog. It must have been a bad dog because he kept yelling at him, telling him to fucking sit, or I’ll take you back to the fucking pound, you mutt. The 3 feet between us became 6 feet. Fuck where’s the train? I look at my watch which isn’t there. His name is Loki, the man was smiling a single digit grin. Oh, heh, Loki, Trickster God of Norse mythology, nice. Look at your watch, look at it! God where is the train. No, that’s Lo-ki. His name is Low-Key. Like a single 5K HMI on a scene. He’s very dramatic. Double take. What did you say? He was rambling again, saying something about Xenu and midichlorians. Train is here, finally.

I sat impatiently, dreaming of my lovely lomo saltado, my mouth salivating in anticipation. Pavlov’s dogs had a bell, I had the loud rustle and shaking of a subway car. The vagrant was in the car, thankfully on the other side, kicking the side of the car with his boots singing an offtune rendition of Manfred Mann. Doowah ditty ditty dummm ditty do…apparently his dog was singing too, he petted him. This guy is completely psychotic, I thought. I spotted where each exit was. Vrrrr…the brakes jolted the car, as it eased into my station. One step out of the car I realized that new cleaner wasn’t being used here. I ran up the steps, leaving crazy homeless guy to play Frisbee with his dog. I don’t think the dog ever brought back the Frisbee.

It was cold outside, but it didn’t matter, soon I would have good food in my stomach, and a smile on my face. Maybe the Arclight after..what was playing? Busted out the phone. Valentine’s Day? No, I wanted to keep the food in, thank you. I heard a twig snap. I turned around, fucking terrified out of my mind. Gunshots, sirens, girl screaming rape in the alley, that’s fucking normal. There are no trees in LA. A twig snapping is fucking out of place. No one there. But then…off in the distance…was that crazy homeless guy? Yes. Ah, better pick up the pace, I don’t want a confrontation. Just get the food, just get the food. I walked briskly, at the pace you would go when you need to take a shit but you don’t want anyone to know. He’s still following me isn’t he. Yep, he’s even closer now…though he did stop to fix his dog’s collar. Alright make a break for it. So I start jogging. I look back, and the crazy homeless guy is running, full on at me! I fucking take off like a mule coming out of a stable (I’m out of shape) and started hoofing it as fast as I can. I think he sent his invisible dog after me, he was shouting orders at it. Kill, Lowkey, Kill! The restaurant is so close! I can see it! BAM, Something knocks me down, I eat pavement. I scream for help! FIRE! FUCKING FIRE! I heard somewhere you call for fire when you need help, please be right. He started stomping me with his untied dirty white Nike Vandals. These are the things I notice when I’m getting assaulted. Stomp, my chest was getting crushed! I should have fucken wasted that homeless motherfucker when I had the chance, then I’d be stomping on his chest.

I ready my feet for some ball kicking action when I see my assailant: A short asian guy, black hair, holding a big fat fucking book in his hand. Are you kidding me dawg, seriously? A book? The stomping stops. I see my savior—crazy homeless guy! He’s fucking unleashing on this mother fucker, kicking the shit out of him. It’s wild  ‘cause he doesn’t even punch the fool, he just kicks like a motherfucking Rockette. The asian goes down and I get up and help the homeless guy stomp the fool. It’s Payback time, bitch! The crazy mofo was just stomping on the guy’s nuts like it was Christmas. After the Asian guy stopped moving (maybe 5 minutes later), we take a breather. I thank crazy homeless guy profusely. He stole my dog’s bone, I had to get it back. Right, still psychotic, but a hero nonetheless. I look up and the homeless guy is stomping the asian again. This dude’s got issues, man. A big fat fire engine pulls up, and I explain the situation to some very confused firemen, who call in the proper authorities. Apparently the assailant, a Kwot-san Ming, was responsible for a series of muggings in the area recently, they had been looking for him for weeks.

He was still unconscious as they drove him away in the squad car, leaving just me, crazy homeless guy, and Low-Key sitting on the sidewalk. I thank the guy once again, but he seems preoccupied with his dog. For some reason I remember a film I had seen recently and mutter “…Have you ever heard the expression Let sleeping dogs lie? Sometimes your better not knowing..” Ah, one of my favorite movies.

Jack Nicholson. The homeless guy muttered. Excuse me? I replied. That was Jack Nicholson. We had to do that take eighteen times because of his damn method. I was perplexed. Did you work on Chinatown? I asked. Yes indeed, I worked as assistant gaffer on that film, working that damn 5k all fucking day. Oh well, that’s where I found low-key here. We’ve never parted since. I smiled. You want to get some Peruvian food?

It was the best lomo saltado I’ve ever had.

I knew one of the top films would sweep, (Hurt Locker, Avatar), I just chose the wrong one. After Hurt Locker beat out Tarantino in the script category, I basically lost all hope. It was devastating to me that a typical, war story script (I’ve read the script twice) would beat out one as unique and as masterful as the tome Mr. Tarantino has penned. Also, some of the choices for the smaller categories: Short Doc, Short Live Action, Foreign Film, etc. were baffling, ignoring the more relevant and critically acclaimed pieces for the more…emotionally manipulating? In a time of severe economic downturn, every movie dealing with the subject was grafted. Up in the Air, Closing of a GM Plant, the White Ribbon—all failed to capture any awards. Maybe the Cove’s award made sense…who can’t be moved by slaughtered dolphins. Hmm…After Slumdog Millionaire won last year (15 million budget) and Hurt Locker (12 million budget)…maybe they are awarding the most frugal directors? Hurt Locker is no Slumdog though.

Besides the choices of winners (I’ve come to accept that the awards will never be good measures of future relevance, case in point: Citizen Kane, 2001 Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock in general, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.) but at the state of affairs of the show itself.

Lack of major stars in the top films left many viewers jaded at the, shall i say, circle jerk of actors on stage. After last years horrible, horrible presentation of the best actor/actress awards, I would have thought the Academy would have learned its lesson. Nope. It did it again this year except with even more awkwardness peppered in—people who worked with the actress/actor in previous projects (sometimes in very ancillary ways) came up on stage and basically jerked the actor for a few seconds.

The hosts were lifeless! Jokes were flat and cringe-worthy, voices monotone, and both judges had an air of “assholeness” emanating around them. My god, for two comedians of their experience and abilities to host in such a manner…it’s inexcusable. It’s almost as if they were kidnapped and replaced with Skrulls. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin shame on you.

Typical rehash of dead people and past winners in clip shows. I have heard of the individuals—the writer of Ferris Bueller especially—but for the typical American, it must have been a big yawnfest. Nothing new to see here. I must say I enjoyed the horror tribute (but WHY THE HELL was Twilight included in it, alongside Jason, Freddy, Exorcist girl, Samara from the Ring, etc.)

Ben Stiller came out in full Avatar makeup, complete with fishing hook controlled tail. At first I laughed…then it got awkward…then it got sad. Stiller started busting out broken Na’Vi, which essentially made him realize how big of an error his decision had been. He began to bite his lip in frustration, a look of “Mistake. Big Mistake.” on his face. When his prehensile tail started moving on his own during the nominee reading, he stated, “Seriously? Now?” and yanked the line away from the stagehand. If this was planned, it came off as a bit dickish. If it wasn’t planned…well…*cue guy screaming from far away* AWKWARD . I felt almost sorry for the guy–he just wanted a few laughs.

The worst, worst, worst decision of the show, and I say this lightly, was the urban dance rendition of the soundtrack nominees. It was just…wrong. It was the members of America’s Best Dance Crew breakdancing to each soundtrack. Really? Mr. Director of the Oscars, I say to you…REALLY? Oh, maybe it’s because the director of the show this year had something to do with ABDC (like, I d’know directing that too). Just a sad, sad state of affairs. At least go with the music, for the love of God. Someone liquid popping to neo-classical music is just…I can’t really think about it anymore, my blood is beginning to boil.

The speeches were just like they always are, the stand out to me being Sandra Bullock. She received her award with grace and charm, as it should be. The rest were pretty hohum…or in a Kanye moment, very awkward. Oh, and did anyone notice Bigelow’s creepy abusive husband arm grab during the Best Picture speech? Awkward. Oh! How about that ending? Tom Hanks runs out…”Best picture, Hurt Locker, ok bye!” Nice. Hey, I know how you can save some time, Academy. CUT THE STUPID CIRCLE JERK SHIT.

One more thing. I like how Hurt Locker only began to win awards during their advertising blitz from January-Febuary (BAFTAS, Writing Guild, and Oscars). Mo’Nique in her best supporting actress speech said  “Thank You Academy for giving this to the person most deserving of the award and not succumbing to politics.” First of all, way to be a dick and saying you owned the rest of the candidates. Second, “not succumbing to politics?”, uhh no.

Let’s just say I’ll be valuing the Golden Globes much more next year. Stay classy, Hollywood. *eyeroll*

Once seen as a fringe hobby, the video game market has grown exponentially since the inception of the Commodore 64 and the Atari home entertainment system. It enlists the aid of hundreds of artists, voice actors, movie actors, directors, sound designers, engineers, and programmers to create gripping worlds never seen before. Sound like something similar? Movies are the same way—they are a collaborative artform, one which mixes the talents of a large group of people and creates a product that is more than the sum of its parts.

Video games have become almost an evolution of the movie making formula—it allows for a level of immersion that movie directors can only dream about. While watching a movie is a passive consumption of art, video games are an active participation in a story, fantasy, or world. Rather than simply listening to a story, many video games allow you to create your own—to become an active participant in the fabricated artiface of a computer rendered universe. It’s power to lull participants into a sedated trance has an eerie twilight zone feel to it…people have neglected their real, physical bodies, instead tending to their digital avatars on World of Warcraft or farming digital crops in Farmville. But I’m not here to complain, rather, I see video games as a new canvas for budding artists.

The Lumiere brothers played the first feature film, L’arrivee d’un train en gare de La Ciotat, in 1896 in a small french town. It was a 50 second long clip of a train coming into a station. Legend has it that people were so freaked out by the moving image projected on that dark wall that they ran to the back of the room in fear. Now, whether or not this is true is irregardless—the point is that media (and art) seek to create modes of consumption that more fully engage the audience. Many people thought that these moving pictures would be a fad that would die out (Hey! Like 3D!), citing that plays were real people, and what could be more real than real? Boy were they wrong.

Movies gave people an opportunity to experience things that plays could only dream of. Lavish sets could be developed alongside stunning vistas, which would have been impossible to recreate on a small theater stage. One could literally be transported to the actual streets of Paris, complete with bustling tourists and crackheads looking for rock money (well maybe this came later). More importantly, the close up was born. Unless you were superman, watching emotions in a play was an exercise in squinting. Emotions had to be extreme, words fierce and flamboyant, speeches were overacted and wordy. Movies changed all that—it allowed for subtlety. Subtlety is MAGIC. It allows for us to suspend our disbelief…it allows for media to captivate us on a SUBliminal level, evoking primal reactions (screams, tears, laughter) from our highly evolved personas. One needs to only look at where movies and plays stand today to see which is the more popular medium. Movies touch something innate in us; video games can do the same.

Art, in a sense, requires participation, but this can be active or passive. Many modes of art have strived to become more actively participatory throughout their respective developments. Painting has evolved from replication of form (kinda like an oldschool photograph) to the abstract, which requires more critical analysis from the viewer to fully appreciate. Newsprint has evolved into the blog, which allows readers to add their voice to a piece—an empowering (though sometimes backfiring) invention. Video games continually strive to become more participatory—more immersive.

I recently played Heavy Rain, developed by Quantic Dream, a French developer. I can honestly say, and this is from a movie fanatic, that no movie has ever involved my senses as much as Heavy Rain has. Drawing from cinematic theory, the developers have created a game that, in my opinion, marks a new era—the participatory movie. Criticized by many for its simple gameplay mechanics (pressing buttons/ joystick combinations as they appear on screen), Quantic hit a home run with their perfect control scheme. The mechanics are surprisingly intuitive (my girlfriend who played it can attest to that) and become the figurative arms and legs of the audience whilst in this dream world.

Throughout the story, you chase an elusive serial killer, who always seems to be one step ahead of the police. The game unfolds depending on your decisions and your actions: characters can die, and the ending can change based on the smallest detail. As I progressed through the story, I was amazed how every action had gravity. Each fight stopped my heart, each detail missed infuriated, and each kiss satisfied. I laughed, I screamed, I even teared up during certain scenes—and I got the good ending…I can only imagine what horrors the other 22 endings have in store for me. I left the game breathless and in awe—ready to try another path to see what other stories I could create.

Heavy Rain changed my mind about the possibilities of video games. It made me realize that they have the potential not to replace movies—but to become an evolution of them. They can stir the imagination by involving tactile responses and decision making into branching narratives, creating a fulfilling experience that is so gripping that it can become dangerous. We must now tread lightly, for in this new age, experiences can be so real that we forget our own real problems. But with the right attitude, and in moderation, I believe that video games can become the next step for participative art.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. – Joseph Campbell

The Hero’s Journey and Three Act Structure

Now there are a lot of different frameworks for storymaking in Hollywood–but there is none as widespread and accepted as the  Hero’s Journey. It has become an esoteric dialogue between screenwriters,actors and directors which help them organize their thoughts and present them concisely in a two hour time frame. The Hero’s Journey is derived from Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which studied themes in myths, legends, and folktales. Vogler, in his book The Writer’s Journey, applies these themes to modern literature and screenplays. This Three Act Structure, as it is referred to by screenwriters, is a liberal schema that can be applied to almost all movies.

Act One:

The Ordinary World

Here we are presented the world of the characters, the universe, and the problems it faces. We also meet the hero and we see his place in this world.

The Call to Adventure

Something weird happens to the hero that kind of pushes him towards change.

Refusal of the Call

The hero responds to this call by rejecting–either outright because he is afraid, or because of external pressures which create uncertainty and doubt in the character.

Mentor

The hero meets with someone who is wiser, someone who knows things that the character does not. He gives the hero training, equipment, and advice. This can also be an inward journey, one where the hero calls his past experiences in order to fortify himself for the danger ahead.

Crossing the Threshold

The Hero finally decides to embark on the adventure, leaving the old comfortable world behind and entering a new strange world that is strange yet exciting.

Act Two:

Test, Allies, Enemies

The hero creates allegiances, he is faced with some minor tests, and enemies of the hero are revealed.

Approach the Cave

The hero and his allies are faced with some major challenge.

The Ordeal

The hero enters the cave and confronts some form of death or fear, which can be confronting a villain or having some sort of horrible event happen. This is the lowest point for the character, but after he gets past the initial shock, the hero is reborn with a new sense of being, a new found hope.

Act Three:

Reward

The hero takes the prize for fighting with death. There may be a small celebration but there is a shadow lurking over the festivities…something that is coming to take the prize back.

The Road Back

This is where the hero is tasked with bringing the reward back to the ordinary world…either physically by destroying an obstacle which prevents him from reaching this goal, or internally by applying his new found powers and confronting that nagging problem that keeps him from the world being normal.This is usually a chase scene or something that shows the danger that is present.

Resurrection

This is the final test, the climax of the story. The hero has once last test before he can finally go back home. There is a moment where the hero must sacrifice something, look inside himself, and become pure. There is some form of death (the loss of an old habit, ideal, crutch) which strengthens the hero even more than the Ordeal. Usually this is accomplished by using the training he has learned from the mentor, and the using what he gained in the Ordeal.He is now a complete individual, which allows him to defeat the villain.

Return with the Elixir

The hero returns back home with a new found power that gives him the strength to change the world and live as he was meant to live.

If the pacing of the three act structure seems strangely familiar, see the next image.

The Three Act Structure follows the Golden Ratio, a pattern that is seen in numerous works of art, photography, music, etc. Still don’t believe me?

Here is Star Wars: Episode IV framed in the Hero’s Journey (Lucas intentionally wrote Star Wars using the Hero’s Journey (He even had correspondence with Campbell).

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

The Ordinary World

Scrolling text. We see Darth Vader and Leia conversing. There is some overarching universal conflict going on. We see Luke’s relation to this–jack shit. He’s just a farmboy but he wants something more…he craves excitement.

Call to Adventure

He finds C3P0 and R2D2. He sees Leia’s holotape, which calls for help.

Refusal of the Call

Luke essentially says…fuck that shit. His uncle says,” yeh fuck that shit, do your chores”. And so he does, until R2D2 leaves…

Mentor

Luke looks for R2D2 and gets saved by Obi-Wan, the mentor. He is given equipment (a lightsaber), and advice: “Come with me and save Leia, you fucking pussy”.

Crossing the Threshold

Bam, Luke’s uncle and aunt are BBQ, so he basically has no choice now. He decides to leave. We go to Mos Eisley which is the start of this new, crazy universe.

ENTER SPECIAL WORLD

Allies, Tests, Enemies

We meet Han Solo, Chewbacca(allies). We see a few tests: “these are not the droids you’re looking for”, Greedo, learning how to lightsaber stuff blindfolded. Darth Vader shows how much of a dick he is by blowing up Alderaan…yeh he is an enemy. Fo sho dawg, call the ambulamps.

Approaching the Cave

Damn thats not a moon! Death Star Tractor Beam. Shit, that thing can blow up planets?

The Ordeal

Luke saves Leia with the help of Han Solo and Chewie, Luke’s releases his load on some stormtroopers, then they get stuck in a trash compactor but manage to get out. Obi Wan turns off the tractor beam, but ends up facing Vader who is waiting for me. The slowest lightsaber fight I’ve ever seen ensues(what do you expect? paraplegic vs. elderly man) “Strike me down and I shall becom– Zzzzttt, saber’d. NOOOO, cries sissy Luke, but he gets over it when he hears voices in his head.

Reward

They leave with the reward: Death star plans.It surprises me that they would build an airshaft where if you bomb it the whole place explodes: pretty gaping engineer flaw if you ask me.There is a small celebration, but Han Solo is like, where’s my money bitch and leaves. It’s a trap! Vader put a homing beacon on the ship (nice job checking the ship guys)and they find out the Death Star is coming to fuck shit up. They need to destroy it. Luke is given a choice to fight, and he says, hell yeah, I’m badass now.

The Road Back

Time to fight the Death Star! They assault the Death Star, lots of failed heroes, but Luke manages to get through and begins navigating the random valley of turret guns. He is chased by Vader and some tie fighters. “The force is strong with this one!”. Damn Luke’s gonna die…but…BAM ALLIES COME BACK TO HELP! (<-This is a common theme in the Hero’s Journey)The Falcon shoots Vader and somehow he  swerves off course rather than blowing up. Anyway its all up to Luke now.

Resurrection

Luke only has one shot at this, his squad is dying left and right. He puts on his little targeting reticule eyepiece thing. Obi-Wan reminds him: Use the Force, Luke. Luke hesitates but sacrifices his dependence on technology and accepts this new power: the Force. Bam, shoots the photon torpedos and  blows up the Death Star. LUCAS: Cue CG NOW!

Return with the Elixir

Big grandiose ceremony. Luke is now a hero, he now has things that he did not have before: the force. More importantly, Luke gains courage and confidence.

So there you have it, the hero’s journey. But who knows what the fuck George Lucas is gonna add to “fix” his story–this might not fit in a few years. >.>

There is a lot more to this three act structure: but that’s it for now. Happy viewing! ~S. Vox

The Oscars are right around the corner and it’s time to make my annual guess predictions about how the Academy is gonna fuck it up this year. Remember this: The nominees are chosen by experts…and then voted on by the Academy(rich white people), many of which have not seen all of the nominated movies. I’ve also included who I believe SHOULD win the award, based on my own senile preferences and observations.

Original Screenplay

I love how the screenplay is usually the least recognized part of the movie making process. A screenplay should be fresh, coherent, and not lacking in the ingredients which make a movie great (read: The Writers Journey).

Adapted Screenplay

Visual Effects

Sound Mixing

Sound Editing

Short Film (Live)

Short Film (Animated)

Original Song

Original Score

Makeup

Foreign Language

Editing

Documentary Short

Documentary Feature

Directing

Costume

Cinematography

Ah this is my favorite Technical Category. Love lovvvve lovvee guessing this one.

Art Direction

Animated Feature

Supporting Actress

Supporting Actor

Actress

Actor

Best Picture

Sure, the story is derivative and formulaic…but I will be so bold as to say all art is derivative and formulaic.

Peruse through The Writer’s Journey, and you will see that all Hollywood scripts follow essentially the same progression of story. Christian Bale is known to turn down roles that do not follow this formula. And he’s Batman.

Tristan und Isolde

SHAKESPEARE WAS ORIGINAL!, a frothing troll would scream, pedantically. Was he truly so original? Tristan und Isolde was a medieval folk tale, the earliest manuscripts of the story found in the early 13th century…hundreds of years before Romeo and Juliet (aka ITALIAN TRISTAN AND ISOLDE OMG!).

Good poets imitate, Great poets steal. Julius Caesar? Ripped right from Plutarch’s history books. What made Shakespeare immortal wasn’t his uniqueness…it was his ubiquity. He created universal stories that all people could enjoy, doing so with a willingness to break the mold of formality while keeping the same damn stories everyone knew and twisting it like one of those little plastic things that hold your cords. He was the Steven Spielberg of his time.

“Let’s go watch that new Shakespeare play!”, a mud covered peasant would say. “I hear this one has TWO swordfights!”

“I dunno, my girlfriend is being a real cuckold today,” his equally dirty friend would respond. Then they’d die of plague.

South Park reiterates my point: Just because the Simpsons did it … doesn’t mean it can’t be done again. It’s about creating something fresh with the leftovers we’ve been given.

Don’t get me wrong, Shakespeare did create something new: words. Shakespeare wrote in the vernacular–not in Latin or Italian, but in peasant ENGLISH. Oh yeah,  he also created words out of thin air.

Check this: every italicized word in this article is a creation of Bill Shakespeare.

Just made that shit up! He kicked Noah Webster’s ass into the 4th dimension, where he warped into the 19th century to write the dictionary. We use a little bit of Shakespeare whenever we write, which, to many, is one reason he is considered the greatest. When someone CHANGES A MEDIUM, they become great.

Shakespeare appealed to the masses, and he changed the formula of his medium: writing.  Avatar does the same–it changes the game. Avatar speaks in the vernacular, except instead of colloquialisms, we have explosions and alien sex. James Cameron is everything Michael Bay should be. Instead of relying on 100 cuts to show a door opening, Cameron allows the viewer to see the entire action, allowing the viewer to take in the scene and participate in the action. You know exactly where that giant pteradactyl thing is, and you jump as it swoops by Jake Sully’s head. Oh, and 2 Billion dollars and counting? Yeah, that appeals to the masses alright.

Avatar CHANGES the formula. It’s magnificent 3D is unlike any before it. The depth of field determines apparent viewing distance, which is one step closer to mimicking real life. He doesn’t flaunt it either. Cameron could have chosen to make 3D masturbatory, but chose to make the 3D subtle, yet exciting. Subtlety is magic, and Cameron has created rack focuses which create subconscious emotions that are akin to eyeball orgasms. There was no camera that was able to do this as James Cameron had envisioned it. So what did the fucker do? He just MADE THAT SHIT UP. He created a whole new camera system which will eventually trickle down to users like you and me. This WILL happen. How do I know? It happened to Cameron’s rival, George Lucas.

Thank you, George Lucas.

Hate George Lucas as much as you want, Phantom Menace jump started the digital movement. His movie, shot with newly designed 24p digital cameras, changed cinema forever. A movie could now be shot inexpensively and on the fly (film cameras are extremely bulky). The Panasonic DVX100, directly descended from George Lucas’ creation, was the first step in creating affordable, cinema like images with a digital camera( as opposed to expensive film) and filming a movie nominated for an Academy Award (Iraq in Fragments). Was there another movie that changed how we view and make movies as much as Phantom Menance did?

Yep, Citizen Kane. That’s right, I compared Phantom Menance to Citizen Kane. Done, son. Lucas’ digital cameras and Cameron’s 3D have changed the medium, just as Orwell did 60 years ago. 3D is what new words are to a writer. It is a new tool in an artist’s arsenal. What if Van Gogh didn’t have watercolors or oil paints? He would just be another nobody. How many artists has James Cameron created with the innovation of 3D? How many potentials has he just unleashed?

Avatar is an important movie…one that will give Cameron his share of italicized text in the future. Give the guy a break…he’s done us all a favor.