As mentioned before, I have much more respect for the film Notting Hill after analyzing it through the Dramatica filter. Recognizing how all the different parts come together to form a complete story is a very satisfying task that takes you beyond first impressions. Below, I’ve attempted to summarize all that was discussed [...]

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Dramatica has a very different way of looking at the concept of Genre. In the world of this theory, the genre of a story can fall into four different areas: Entertainment, Comedy, Drama and Information. This does not mean there are only four different kinds of stories. Rather, these four items can be interchanged among the throughlines and shift throughout a narrative piece.

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OK. I was wrong…but I have an excuse. Previously I had stated that Notting Hill was all relationship story with no objective story in sight. After the analysis class last night, it’s clear to me that while I was seeing the right things, I was not looking at them from the right perspective. Consequently, I now have a new found respect for the film.

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Perhaps you think Main Characters are the only ones who are allowed to change in a story. Or maybe you think every character should have some type of “character arc.” Which school of thought is right? Chris Huntley might have the answer for you in his Tip of the Month for March 2007.

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Well, in sharp contrast to my elaborate analysis of Hotel Rwanda, I have little to say about Notting Hill (1999). I found the story incredibly boring - and this coming from a fan of romantic-comedies. But it’s not enough to simply say you were bored watching a film. In order to be constructive you should at least know why.

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Historical dramas are often great places to find complete stories. The authors are usually drawn to the subject matter because of some great meaning that can be drawn from events that happened long ago. Hotel Rwanda (2004) is a beautiful and moving example of just this.
Spoilers Ahead…

There was a very good reason why Hotel [...]

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Suppose you had taken a bite of the most delicious birthday cake ever. This cake was so good that you would do anything to have more of it. But what if I told you that this cake was unique - one of a kind. Would you want to try to make one of [...]

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Just a friendly reminder that next week’s film for analysis is the Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts romantic comedy - Notting Hill. I’ve seen it before but barely remember it (except to say that I remember liking it).
From this DVD cover it is hard to make out what any of the throughlines would be ahead of time. [...]

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Although much of The Prestige shrouds itself in mystery, identifying one of the prominent roles as the Main Character is not as difficult as it first seems…as long as you understand the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Major Spoilers Ahead…

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It should come as no surprise that super-egos run rampant in Hollywood. “Why bother having a story based on familiar structures? I don’t care about character development or plot progression. I’ve got a better way of telling a story. Audiences are tired of the same old thing.”

Are they?

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