From Film Scripts to Product Success

How The Hero’s Journey Transformed My Storytelling Approach

“Don’t show anyone this script yet,” my former film professor in New York City warned me. “It’s really good, but don’t show anyone yet.”

Little did I know that my first script, A Star in the Desert, would go on to be produced, selected into eight film festivals, and win two audience awards. At the time, I was working in media technology and had never made a film before.

What followed was a decade-long journey into filmmaking, where I took numerous classes as a continuing student in New York. I spent over two years analyzing more than 150 films — pausing frame by frame to dissect every scene, character choice, directorial decision, and piece of dialogue. It was during this time that I encountered two essential pillars of storytelling that have stayed with me ever since: Aristotle’s Poetics and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

Aristotle’s Poetics: The Birthplace of Narrative Structure

Every film student is told to read Poetics, and for good reason. It’s the birthplace of narrative structure.

Aristotle lays out the foundational principles of storytelling — plot, character, and catharsis. His concept of dramatic unity (a…