What is a MacGuffin in Film — Are You Team Hitchcock or Team Lucas?

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Channel: StudioBinder

Views: 278,261

Keywords: Mcguffin, macguffin, movie macguffin, macguffin in movies, macguffin examples in movies, macguffin meaning film, macguffin plot device, macguffin in a screenplay, what is a macguffin, what is macguffin, the macguffin, what is a macguffin in film, indiana jones macguffin, george lucas macguffin, pulp fiction macguffin, macguffin hitchcock films, macguffin psycho, alfred hitchcock macguffin, tarantino macguffin, macguffin studiobinder, hitchcock macguffin examples, studiobinder

Id: QcxhklyiMqo

Length: 10min 53sec (653 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 26 2022

Reddit Comments

[u/analogkid01]

I keep trying to find the clip and haven't yet, but I remember an episode of the old Roger Ebert show where he defined a MacGuffin as a specific type of plot device that the audience doesn't even know what it is. He cited the briefcase in Pulp Fiction as an example. It's not that the audience doesn't care what it is (Hitchcock), it's that the audience doesn't know why it's valuable to the characters, but the characters themselves know. A bag of money, for example, is never a MacGuffin - audiences know why the characters want it. The Pulp Fiction briefcase or the titular Maltese Falcon, on the other hand, remain a mystery to viewers.

Meanwhile Lucas's definition is just useless...the Ark is a plot device through and through, nothing special about it.

[u/studiobinder]

Perhaps no other plot device is more confusing or debated than the MacGuffin. It’s such a simple device, and yet it is difficult to understand the variations and how to apply them in a story. In this video, we’re going to break down the differences between an Alfred Hitchcock MacGuffin and a George Lucas MacGuffin. We’ll also discuss “why” you might want to use a MacGuffin in your next screenplay with a couple of tips on how to do it right.