Macguffin Defined
There is a term in filmmaking known as the MacGuffin. This term represents something that drives the plot forward as it is something the protagonist or antagonists strives for. The device is used in numerous films and is a staple of filmmaking even before it had a name. Read on to learn the definition and some famous examples of this interesting plot device.
The term Macguffin -also known as Maguffin, Mcguffin, and more sarcastically, plot coupons (as in, they buy you a plot for your story) - Was made famous by Alfred Hitchcock, the famous director and producer in the mid 1930s. He described it as a mechanical element that usually crops up in a story. He used the example of jewelry in crook stories and secret documents in spy thrillers. Basically, it is simply a plot device that moves the story forward. The audience does not even have to know exactly what it is or even care, what they care about is the characters actions to obtain (or whatever) the MacGuffin. Of course just because it is not necessary for the audience to care what it is does not mean that they cannot. Director George Lucas pointed out that the robot R2 D2 was the MacGuffin in the film A New Hope, and the audience cared deeply about him.
Some famous examples of MacGuffins may help illustrate the concept here. In the films Ronin and Pulp Fiction, much of the plot revolves around obtaining a briefcase, with many people dying in the process. However in both films, we never find out what exactly was in the cases, and we do not need to, we simply understand that the contents are highly desirable and that is enough. These films use the device in a pretty straightforward manner. There are other films where it is used more subtly. In fact, the object or whatever need not even exist through the entire film. The 2011 film Hugo is a good example of this. For the first third of the movie, the protagonist strives to get back his notebook that has been taken from him by the toy shop keeper. Once the significance of the contents are revealed, the book ceases to have any bearing on the plot and is forgotten, having done its job.
Some more recent examples include the Unobtainium in Avatar, a rare mineral that the humans wanted to acquire from the natives. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the skull is the MacGuffin. Director Steven Spielberg himself admits that he does not like the skull as a MacGuffin when answering criticisms of the film. In the film Rise of the Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan uses a nuclear power reactor as the MacGuffin. The reactor can provide unlimited energy but can also become a bomb that will destroy the city.
So as you can see this is a very popular plot device, and now that you know about it, you can begin to look for it in every movie that you watch. You can look for MacGuffins in movies such as The Dark Knight Rises and Pulp Fiction.
The term Macguffin -also known as Maguffin, Mcguffin, and more sarcastically, plot coupons (as in, they buy you a plot for your story) - Was made famous by Alfred Hitchcock, the famous director and producer in the mid 1930s. He described it as a mechanical element that usually crops up in a story. He used the example of jewelry in crook stories and secret documents in spy thrillers. Basically, it is simply a plot device that moves the story forward. The audience does not even have to know exactly what it is or even care, what they care about is the characters actions to obtain (or whatever) the MacGuffin. Of course just because it is not necessary for the audience to care what it is does not mean that they cannot. Director George Lucas pointed out that the robot R2 D2 was the MacGuffin in the film A New Hope, and the audience cared deeply about him.
Some famous examples of MacGuffins may help illustrate the concept here. In the films Ronin and Pulp Fiction, much of the plot revolves around obtaining a briefcase, with many people dying in the process. However in both films, we never find out what exactly was in the cases, and we do not need to, we simply understand that the contents are highly desirable and that is enough. These films use the device in a pretty straightforward manner. There are other films where it is used more subtly. In fact, the object or whatever need not even exist through the entire film. The 2011 film Hugo is a good example of this. For the first third of the movie, the protagonist strives to get back his notebook that has been taken from him by the toy shop keeper. Once the significance of the contents are revealed, the book ceases to have any bearing on the plot and is forgotten, having done its job.
Some more recent examples include the Unobtainium in Avatar, a rare mineral that the humans wanted to acquire from the natives. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the skull is the MacGuffin. Director Steven Spielberg himself admits that he does not like the skull as a MacGuffin when answering criticisms of the film. In the film Rise of the Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan uses a nuclear power reactor as the MacGuffin. The reactor can provide unlimited energy but can also become a bomb that will destroy the city.
So as you can see this is a very popular plot device, and now that you know about it, you can begin to look for it in every movie that you watch. You can look for MacGuffins in movies such as The Dark Knight Rises and Pulp Fiction.
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