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What is a MacGuffin in film explained — including the differences between an Alfred Hitchcock MacGuffin and a George Lucas MacGuffin.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - What Is A MacGuffin?
01:56 - The Alfred Hitchcock MacGuffin
04:20 - The George Lucas MacGuffin
06:22 - Why Use A MacGuffin?
09:41 - Wrap-Up / Takeaways

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WHAT IS A MACGUFFIN

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.

THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK MACGUFFIN

Any discussion on the MacGuffin has to start with the late, great Alfred Hitchcock. Although the concept is said to have originated with screenwriter and Hitchcock collaborator Angus MacPhail, it is Hitchcock himself who championed the plot device. According to Hitchcock, the MacGuffin is a plot device that sets the plot in motion, but the audience doesn’t care what it is. By the end of the film, they might have even forgotten all about it.

For Hitchcock, the MacGuffin worked splendidly for spy thrillers — the thing that everyone is after. This could be the plans for an experimental plane engine in The 39 Steps, the wine bottles containing uranium ore in Notorious, or the microfilm in North by Northwest. These items were a means to get the plot going but held little significance otherwise. Then came George Lucas who adopted the term but added a small but significant change.

THE GEORGE LUCAS MACGUFFIN

For Lucas, the MacGuffin should remain important to both the plot and the audience throughout. He employed this version of the MacGuffin in two of major franchises: Star Wars and Indiana Jones. In A New Hope, the MacGuffin is R2-D2 who holds the stolen Death Star plans. Not only is the plot kickstarted with the search for those plans, but they also become the key to the Rebellion’s destruction of the Death Star in Act Three. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark is the MacGuffin. And while it could have been replaced with any other priceless artifact (like a Hitchcock MacGuffin), the Ark plays a huge role in the finale.

WRITING A MACGUFFIN

So, if you’re thinking of how to write a MacGuffin in your next script, which do you choose? There are advantages and disadvantages to both variations of the plot device, so you have to decide which one will work best for you. If you’re looking for a way to start the plot but have the focus elsewhere, go with Hitchcock. If you want the MacGuffin to play a major role for the characters, plot, and audience, try the Lucas version. Either way, understanding how the MacGuffin works will make you a more knowledgeable and purposeful storyteller.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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VIDEO EDITOR: BRANDON SCULLION
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♬ SONGS USED:

“Donations” - Christophe Beck
“Funeral March of a Marionette” (Alfred Hitchcock Presents Theme) - Charles Gounod and Lyn Murray
“Overture” (North by Northwest) - Bernard Herrmann
“Temptation” - Bernard Herrmann
“The Streets” - Bernard Herrmann
“Indiana Jones Theme” - John Williams
“The Mission Continues” - Michael Giacchino
“Tannhäuser Gate” - Makeup and Vanity Set
“Choke” - Makeup and Vanity Set
“I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow” - Norman Blake
“One Ring to Rule Them All” - Howard Shore
“Windmills” - Ludwig Goransson
“A Glowing Light, A Promise” - Makeup and Vanity Set

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