Most hero's journeys contain some element of loss. For instance, the protagonist might initially lose something or someone dear to him, thus motivating the journey. Or a teammate might get killed along the way. Or the protagonist himself might die just after completing his quest, thereby becoming the ultimate hero who has sacrificed his own life for the good of others.

Many feature films follow some variation, subset or rearranged version of the hero's journey formula, while some films, including Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan and The Wizard of Oz, actually follow the structure practically beat-for-beat. A multitude of short animated films are constructed around a compressed version of this formula, including Knick Knack, f8, Comics Trip, Recycle Bein', Pom Pom and Grinning Evil Death (see Figure 18).

[Figure 18] Comics Trip, Pom Pom and Recycle Bein’ are simplified versions of the hero’s journey.

It is no big mystery why hero stories are so popular and memorable. Much of our daily lives are spent solving problems and resolving conflicts. What should I get my wife for her birthday? How can I avoid road rage? How will I survive my impending IRS audit? Solving problems requires some degree of heroic effort, even if it is particularly minor in scope, risk or complication. Conquering dilemmas gives us a sense of accomplishment and the confidence to continue operating in the real world. Witnessing film characters performing even the most minor of heroic deeds gives us inspiration and sometimes specific techniques that we can apply to our own lives. Creating some form or subset of a hero's journey is certainly not mandatory, but it is definitely worth considering as a time-tested and potentially successful narrative structure for your film.

A common variation on the hero's journey is the lose/learn/win scenario, where the protagonist is initially bested by the villain, but then embarks on a journey of self discovery, often with the help of a mentor to give guidance or some new weaponry and training, which arms him to return and defeat his enemy. Examples are easy to find and include The Odyssey, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Karate Kid, Rocky III and virtually every Hong Kong Kung Fu feature.

The relationship arc is a familiar variation on the lose/learn/win theme, where boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy grows up a bit and after some kind of heroic deed, altruistic act, uncharacteristically mature behavior, trophy-winning performance, perfectly timed speech or just plain, old-fashioned patience and determination, boy finally wins back girl. When Harry Met Sally, As Good as It Gets and Shrek are recent examples.

Pacing
Pacing refers to the timing of your story point delivery. Effective pacing will keep the mind of your audience occupied for the duration of your story. Have you ever noticed that a lethargic school teacher with a monotonous voice can make even the most exciting historical event sound as boring as nails rusting, while an exuberant and captivating lecturer can keep you on the edge of your seat while describing his uneventful trip to the laundromat? The difference is often due to an innate sense of story pacing. Each beat of your script should move your story along by making your audience want to know what will happen next without actually letting them know before it happens. Anticipation plus uncertainty equals story movement.

Pacing is an extremely important narrative component to study because bad pacing can easily confuse or bore your viewers. If your scenes fly by too quickly, your audience might miss an important piece of information and lose their connection to your story. If a scene significantly slows the action, there needs to be a valid reason for it, such as building suspense, establishing mood or creating anticipation. Make sure your scenes are long enough to clearly deliver their plot points, but short enough to move the story along at a reasonable pace. Use quick shots during action sequences and slower shots when you want to give the audience time to think.