Christopher Vogler

Christopher Vogler is a Hollywood story consultant, author, and lecturer whose work has spanned more than three decades. He is best known for his reinterpretation of Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’ in his book ‘The Writer’s Journey’, which has been acclaimed by Movie Makers and studio executives as the definitive guide to creating characters and stories for the movies.

Born in England in 1944 and raised in California, Christopher Vogler received his BA and MA in English literature from the University of California. He first moved to Hollywood in the early 1970s to work as a screenwriter and soon immigrated to London where he ran a production company. It was there that he became aware of Joseph Campbell’s book ‘The Hero’s Journey’, which contained the concepts and principles of the "Hero's Journey". It was an exposition of Campbell’s theory of ‘the monomyth’, which referred to the common underlying structure of many traditional stories.

During his time in London, Vogler was heavily influenced by Jungian dream analysis and psychology to analyze and reinterpret Campbell’s work. Upon his return to Hollywood, he began lecturing to film studios and workshops, and by 1987 was appointed to serve as Story Analyst at Disney Pictures. In this role, he worked and consulted on scripts such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

Vogler summarized his research and revelations in his 1997 book ‘The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers’. He believed that the classic elements of the Hero’s Journey needed to be adapted to a modern society, and as such sought to update classic narrative structures to better fit a modern audience and their experiences. By encoding stories with archetypal structures, Vogler believed a story could be more effectively communicated and understood.

The ‘Writer’s Journey’, has since become a classic resource for anyone interested in the craft of storytelling. It has been referenced by Hollywood writers and filmmakers such as Paul Haggis, the Wachowski siblings, and the producers of Lost.

Vogler has also written several other books related to the craft of writing and visual storytelling, including The Screenwriter’s Bible (2004) and Memo from the Story Department: Secrets of Structure and Character (2015). In his writings, Vogler seamlessly blends his personal experiences of story with ideas and applications from neuroscience, psychology, and cultural anthropology.

Christopher Vogler is a storyteller and consultant who has had a tremendous impact on the way stories are crafted for the modern world. His ability to merge ancient archetypes with contemporary stories and experiences has made him a much sought-after figure in the field of screenwriting. His work has earned him numerous awards and accolades and today is seen as one of the go-to resources for anyone seeking to understand the power of storytelling and its incredible impact on human lives.