Recordings

In this special Dramatica Users Group class, Chris Huntley leads participants through Story Embroidery: building a story together in real time and watching its structural choices take shape. Rather than analyzing a finished film, the group experiments with objective conflict, personal pressure, and relationships as each new choice affects the whole. It is a hands-on demonstration of the Four Throughlines at work.

Recorded December 12, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

A friendship ends without warning in The Banshees of Inisherin, and the consequences spread through an entire island community. The group examines the rupture between Pádraic and Colm, the pressures it places on those around them, and the escalating choices that make reconciliation harder to imagine. Using the Four Throughlines, we test how the film’s darkly comic storytelling builds its argument about connection, purpose, and self-destruction.

Recorded November 14, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Men in Black hides an enormous cosmic bureaucracy behind the familiar streets of New York. In this session, the group follows J’s initiation into that world and the evolving partnership with K, asking how secrecy, procedure, and identity organize the film’s comic action. We test the Four Throughlines to distinguish the film’s inventive surface from the dramatic argument carrying it.

Recorded October 10, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio recasts a familiar fable through grief, war, obedience, and mortality. The group explores the bond between Geppetto and Pinocchio while testing how the film’s larger social pressures complicate its question of what makes someone real. We trace the Four Throughlines and consider where its rich storytelling reinforces—or resists—a complete Storyform.

Recorded September 12, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

With a spoonful of spectacle and a family in need of repair, Mary Poppins invites a deceptively serious structural question: what must change for the Banks household to become whole? The group examines the film’s magical storytelling, the pressures facing George and the children, and the role Mary plays in the family’s transformation. We use the Four Throughlines to test the argument underneath the charm.

Recorded August 8, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Hamilton frames ambition, legacy, and revolution as forces that pull a life in several directions at once. This Dramatica Users Group session studies Alexander Hamilton’s drive alongside the political and personal relationships that define his rise and fall. We test the musical’s Four Throughlines, its shifting alliances, and the story pressures beneath its rapid-fire storytelling.

Recorded July 11, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Returning to the cockpit years later, Top Gun: Maverick makes its central conflict about more than a mission. The group follows Maverick’s collision with the next generation of pilots, especially Rooster, and examines how responsibility, memory, and risk shape the film’s emotional engine. We work through the Four Throughlines to see how its high-speed set pieces support the story’s larger argument.

Recorded June 13, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Booksmart gives two high-achieving friends one last night to make up for the experiences they think they missed. In this conversation, we look past the comic escalation to examine Amy and Molly’s assumptions about success, friendship, and who they believe they have to be. The group tests the Four Throughlines and asks how the film organizes its competing desires into a complete story.

Recorded May 9, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train turns a chance encounter into a dangerous exchange of obligations. The group traces the mounting pressure between Guy and Bruno, testing where their personal stakes intersect with the larger plan that keeps tightening around them. Along the way, we use the Four Throughlines to separate the film’s suspenseful storytelling from its underlying dramatic structure.

Recorded April 11, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

In The Adjustment Bureau, a love story collides with a system designed to keep lives on track. This session examines David Norris’s resistance to the path chosen for him, the shifting role of Elise, and the conflict between personal choice and the machinery of fate. We map the film’s Four Throughlines and consider what its changing relationship says about freedom, control, and commitment.

Recorded February 13, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Set over one charged Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, Tangerine moves at a sprint—but its story pressures are precise. The group follows Sin-Dee and Alexandra through a friendship strained by betrayal, loyalty, and the urge to set the record straight. We test how the film distributes its conflict across the Four Throughlines and ask what holds its overlapping encounters together as a single argument.

Recorded January 10, 2023.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to examine films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

A family's dream of a new life becomes a test of security, responsibility, and belonging in Minari. The Dramatica Users Group explores the film's key thematic touchpoints through the Objective Story, Main Character, Influence Character, and Relationship Story, examining how the family's competing needs shape its narrative structure.

Recorded May 10, 2022.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to analyze films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Old friendships, unfinished obligations, and a master's death pull three out-of-practice martial artists back together in The Paper Tigers. This Dramatica Users Group discussion examines how the revenge plot connects with Danny's personal pressures and the relationships that challenge him, using the Four Throughlines to explore the film's Storyform.

Recorded April 12, 2022.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to analyze films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

The group returns to Tick, Tick... Boom! for a second look at Jonathan Larson's creative ambitions, mounting deadline, and personal relationships. This re-analysis revisits the film's narrative structure through the Four Throughlines, testing the Storypoints and reconsidering how artistic achievement relates to personal fulfillment.

Recorded March 29, 2022. This is a separate follow-up to the February 8, 2022 analysis.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to analyze films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

What happens when a composer's approaching thirtieth birthday turns artistic ambition into a ticking clock? The Dramatica Users Group examines Tick, Tick... Boom!, tracing Jonathan Larson's personal struggle alongside the pressures on his career, friendships, and relationship. The discussion uses the Four Throughlines to test the film's Storyform and the distinction between professional success and personal resolution.

Recorded February 8, 2022. A separate re-analysis followed on March 29, 2022.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to analyze films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

Elle Woods enters Harvard Law with everyone ready to underestimate her. In this Dramatica Users Group discussion of Legally Blonde, we explore the pressure to fit in, the persistence of personal identity, and the relationships that challenge or support Elle. The Four Throughlines provide a framework for examining how the comedy builds its narrative argument.

Recorded January 11, 2022.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to analyze films and television through Dramatica® story theory.

What happens when a group of writers starts with a Storyform and invents the story together? Chris Huntley leads this Dramatica Users Group Story Embroidery workshop, inviting participants to develop characters, situations, and relationships around a shared structure. Follow the creative discussion as abstract Storypoints become concrete Storytelling, and each new idea opens possibilities for the group.

Recorded December 14, 2021. This is a collaborative story-creation class, not an analysis of an existing film.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A wedding turns friendship into a competition in Bridesmaids, while Annie's stalled career and strained sense of self make every celebration harder to navigate. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group examine the pressures around the bridal party, Annie's personal struggle, and the relationships that challenge her. The discussion works through the Four Throughlines and tests how the comedy's escalating mishaps support its Storyform.

Recorded November 9, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A remote Brazilian village becomes the target of outsiders in Bacurau, but a forceful social allegory does not automatically make a complete dramatic argument. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group examine the villagers’ struggle, debate possible Main and Influence Characters, and ask whether the film develops the personal and relationship material needed to support its Objective Story. The group does not settle on a complete Storyform; the recording also includes a useful discussion of the Influence Character’s function.

Recorded October 12, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

When Ruben loses his hearing, the crisis threatens much more than his career as a drummer. This Dramatica Users Group discussion follows his struggle with change, the perspectives offered by Lou and Joe, and the challenge of separating an intensely personal journey from the Objective Story. Chris Huntley and the group work through the Four Throughlines, test Action versus Decision as the Story Driver, and evaluate how the ending brings the argument together.

Recorded September 14, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

Two friendships—and two possible ways of organizing the story—come into focus in Wolfwalkers. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group compare Robyn’s relationship with Mebh against the conflict involving her father, the Lord Protector, and the threatened wolves. The session develops parallel working models and examines where the film’s beautiful Storytelling and its underlying structure do not quite align. The discussion remains exploratory rather than presenting either model as an unquestionable final answer.

Recorded August 10, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A journey to New York becomes an intimate study of uncertainty, trust, and the ability to act for oneself in Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group follow Autumn and Skylar’s experience, distinguish the practical obstacles from Autumn’s personal conflict, and explore how Potentiality and Certainty inform the developing argument. The conversation uses the Four Throughlines to test the film’s quiet but consequential changes.

Recorded July 13, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

Ethan Edwards’s search for his abducted niece becomes a very different experience when seen through his uneasy bond with Martin. In this Dramatica Users Group analysis of The Searchers, Chris Huntley and the group separate the rescue mission from personal prejudice, family loyalties, and the changing relationship between the two men. The discussion follows the Four Throughlines and examines how their contrasting emotional and structural journeys shape the film’s argument.

Recorded June 8, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

Moving backward through time does not remove the need for a coherent dramatic argument. With Tenet, Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group look beyond the mechanics of inversion to identify the conflict shared by the cast, the Protagonist’s personal perspective, and the different kinds of influence offered by Kat and Neil. The discussion tests the Four Throughlines and considers how the film’s intricate Storytelling expresses its Storyform.

Recorded May 11, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

Desire, hesitation, and the possibility of intimacy shape the summer at the center of Call Me by Your Name. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group explore Elio and Oliver’s connection while separating personal experience, shared circumstances, and the relationship itself. Their analysis uses the Four Throughlines to examine how the film develops conflict beneath its quiet encounters and emotionally charged conversations.

Recorded April 13, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

One sweltering day brings a Brooklyn neighborhood’s simmering tensions to the surface in Do the Right Thing. The Dramatica Users Group examines how Mookie’s position, his relationship with Sal, and the community’s competing perspectives contribute to the film’s dramatic argument. Led by Chris Huntley, the discussion distinguishes the Four Throughlines and debates the ending, including what its final encounters do—and do not—resolve.

Recorded March 9, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A strange sound on the airwaves sends two young people searching for answers in The Vast of Night. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group trace the mystery through Fay and Everett’s experiences, asking how the film’s atmosphere, testimony, and carefully withheld information support its underlying structure. The conversation tests the Four Throughlines and distinguishes intriguing Storytelling choices from the requirements of a complete Storyform.

Recorded February 9, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A mistaken engagement offers Lucy the family she longs for—and a growing conflict between belonging and telling the truth—in While You Were Sleeping. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group unpack the family charade, Lucy’s personal needs, and the relationships that give the romantic comedy its emotional shape. Their discussion works through the Four Throughlines and tests how the ending resolves the central inequity.

Recorded January 12, 2021.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and storytelling through Dramatica® story theory.

A teen comedy takes shape one Storypoint at a time in this collaborative Story Embroidery workshop. Chris Huntley gives the Dramatica Users Group a randomly generated Storyform and a cast of Archetypal Characters, then invites each participant to turn a structural choice into concrete Storytelling. Follow the round-robin exercise as the group builds on one another’s ideas while keeping the shared structure intact.

Recorded December 8, 2020.

This is a story-creation workshop, not a film analysis.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

What gives a toy a purpose when its child no longer needs it? Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group explore Toy Story 4 through Woody’s changing sense of belonging, Bo Peep’s independent perspective, and the effort to bring Forky back to Bonnie. The discussion separates the Four Throughlines and tests how the film connects being a lost toy with choosing a new life.

Recorded November 10, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Karl Childers returns to his hometown looking for a place to belong, but friendship draws him into a family’s dangerous conflict. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group examine Sling Blade through Karl’s personal perspective, the influence of Frank and Doyle, and the difference between a compassionate intention and the consequences of acting on it. The group tests the Four Throughlines and works through the film’s Storyform.

Recorded October 13, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Two young men face a murder charge, and their best hope is a lawyer whose courtroom experience is not what anyone expects. The Dramatica Users Group follows My Cousin Vinny from disputed testimony to Vinny and Mona Lisa’s complicated partnership, separating the legal case from the personal and relationship conflicts. Chris Huntley leads a lively examination of competing structural readings and the assumptions that can send an analysis down the wrong path.

Recorded September 8, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Securing the March family’s future means something different to each of its daughters. In this analysis of Greta Gerwig’s 2019 Little Women, Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group consider Jo’s ambitions, the influence of her sisters and prospective partners, and the pressures surrounding work, marriage, and independence. Their discussion follows the Four Throughlines and explores how the film’s interwoven chronology presents its dramatic argument.

Recorded August 11, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Writing a book becomes an act of resistance in The Help, bringing private experiences into conflict with the expectations of an entire town. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group distinguish the shared effort to tell the maids’ stories from the personal pressures and relationships surrounding it. The conversation works through the Four Throughlines and examines the costs, dividends, and consequences of bringing those experiences to light.

Recorded July 14, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Vincent’s journey toward space unfolds alongside a murder investigation that could expose the identity he has worked so hard to conceal. The Dramatica Users Group examines Gattaca by separating the investigation from Vincent’s personal circumstances and the perspectives that challenge him. Chris Huntley leads the discussion through the Four Throughlines, asking where prejudice is subject matter and where the film’s structural conflict actually lies.

Recorded June 9, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

Building a car that can beat Ferrari at Le Mans requires more than mechanical ingenuity. Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group explore the corporate pressures, creative disagreements, and evolving partnership at the center of Ford v Ferrari. The group tests Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles as Main and Influence Characters and considers how the racing campaign connects with the film’s personal and relationship conflicts.

Recorded May 12, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.

A small lie turns Olive’s reputation into a story that the whole school helps write. In the group’s first Zoom analysis, Chris Huntley and the Dramatica Users Group examine Easy A through rumor, labels, and the growing consequences of trying to control how others see you. The discussion identifies the Four Throughlines and tests which characters genuinely challenge Olive’s personal perspective.

Recorded April 14, 2020.

Dramatica Users Group meets monthly to explore films and develop stories through Dramatica® story theory.