One of my favorite blogs, Signal vs. Noise, has a long article on MacGuffin. A name coined by Alfred Hitchcock, who described the element: a "device, the gimmick, if you will, or the papers the spies are after...The only thing that really matters is that in the picture the plans, documents or secrets must seem to be of vital importance to the characters. To me, the narrator, they're of no importance whatsoever." The element that pushes all the other elements into action. Even though it merely acts as a plot agent, it has inherent power. Most writers use it, even if they don't know what a MacGuffin means. Some legendary directors like Truffaut and Mamet are quoted in the article on power of the MacGuffin. One of the best recent examples was the glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction.The MacGuffin
One of my favorite blogs, Signal vs. Noise, has a long article on MacGuffin. A name coined by Alfred Hitchcock, who described the element: a "device, the gimmick, if you will, or the papers the spies are after...The only thing that really matters is that in the picture the plans, documents or secrets must seem to be of vital importance to the characters. To me, the narrator, they're of no importance whatsoever." The element that pushes all the other elements into action. Even though it merely acts as a plot agent, it has inherent power. Most writers use it, even if they don't know what a MacGuffin means. Some legendary directors like Truffaut and Mamet are quoted in the article on power of the MacGuffin. One of the best recent examples was the glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction.
