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MACGUFFINS
For my Final Major Project, I would like to look at MacGuffins. These are objects or devices in films or a book which provide a motivation for the plot, for example a treasure chest in a treasure hunt story (Bealey, 2019). Originally coined by Angus MacPhail to define these objects in films and later popularised by Alfred Hitchcock (Marshall, 2018), the MacGuffin is often revealed in the first act and can resurface at the climax of the plot, however it can be disregarded by the end of the story (Anon., 2020). The MacGuffin is often pursued by main characters, stereotypically in the form of a quest, however it can also provide the plot with purpose in a subtler sense, for example by giving an initial inspiration which a character carries forward throughout the rest of the story.
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The stolen money in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is an example of one of his Macguffins.
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I am interested in how MacGuffins are critical in the plot of a story, however can simultaneously be overshadowed by the drama that they induce. I am also intrigued how a single object can have the power to give a believable purpose to a character’s (or group of characters’) pursuits, even if the nature of the object is not explicit. For example, ambiguous objects such as “important documents” can drive a plot, without knowing what they are about. The drama surrounded by the fact that the documents are important is be enough to provide a strong motivation for the plot. The uncertainty about the exact nature of the MacGuffin may even make the plot more appealing to an audience, who are held in suspense intrigued by the mystery. Alternatively, the MacGuffin’s uncertain identity could become irrelevant to the audience, as it is the exact nature of it is unimportant to the plot.
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The letter of transit in Michael Curtiz's Casablanca is another example of an object driving the motives of the plot.
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I am also interested by how loosely a MacGuffin can be defined, and how tangible they have to be. As well as defining a McGuffin as an object, the dictionary definition says that a MacGuffin can be “a device”, alluding to the potential that a MacGuffin could be something more abstract such as a plan, method or even an emotion like love. Therefore, could a MacGuffin be anything that gives a plot a purpose? If so, are MacGuffins an essential part of every narrative? As part of my project, I would like to compare and contrast stories which are with and without physical MacGuffins, and see what drives the narrative of stories with less tangible plot motivators.
Both in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University in New York City and in a 1966 interview by Francois Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock explained the term MacGuffin with the following story:
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It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. One man says, 'What's that package up there in the baggage rack?' And the other answers, 'Oh, that's a MacGuffin'. The first one asks, 'What's a MacGuffin?' 'Well,' the other man says, 'it's an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.' The first man says, 'But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands,' and the other one answers, 'Well then, that's no MacGuffin!' So you see that a MacGuffin is actually nothing at all.
Hitchcock
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With this explanation, we can begin to see how a MacGuffin is a strange part of a story. This imagined conversation between Hitchcock’s two characters illustrates how the narrative is supported by something that doesn’t exist by the end. The important aspect of the MacGuffin (in the context of Hitchcock’s explanation) it is that it provides the initial idea that the second character pursues interest in, even though his interest is left unsatisfied at the end of the mini narrative. This aspect of the MacGuffin seems paradoxical to me, and I’d be interested to explore the nuances of Hitchcock’s definition of a MacGuffin further. This explanation also highlights how technical terms in stories are often best described in the context of a story.
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The MacGuffin seems to be routed in fiction, however I am interested to see if it has a place in non-fiction as well. Can objects that cause or inspire a series of events in real life be defined as MacGuffins? Do these events have to be constructed into a plot with a narrative before the object can be classed as a MacGuffin? It would be interesting to view news stories looking for what could be the MacGuffin. I suspect that in real life with less perfect stories, more than one MacGuffin per story could exist. I would like to investigate further into non-fictional MacGuffins and whether they can exist organically.
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Another aspect of the MacGuffin that appeals to me is the notion that it is found in books, films and other forms of story, but the extent to which it is involved in other forms of narrative has little research surrounding it. If a series of visuals has a certain narrative, can they have a MacGuffin? What if these images are abstract? Can sounds, music, textures, tastes and smells have a MacGuffin, provided that they have a narrative? Can MacGuffins be used to create a narrative where there is no plot? I am excited by the avenues of MacGuffins I could explore as a film maker, graphic designer and visual communicator, and I will explore some contextual references in the following section.
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For my initial references, I would like to watch a selection of films that have a clear MacGuffin, without knowing what it is, and see if I can easily identify them. I have acquired a list of films (The 39 Steps, Casablanca, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Da Vinci Code, Pulp Fiction, Saving Private Ryan etc) which all have MacGuffins ranging from inanimate objects to the characters themselves. By trying this exercise, I will see if my idea of a MacGuffin is accurate, and also see if I identify alternative MacGuffins, and decide whether these alternatives are legitimate or feasible examples.
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The MacGuffin Library curated by Noam Toran (Toran, 2019) aims to create a library of MacGuffins by authoring film synopses for objects that have been selected for the collection. The language used to write these synopses captures the tone of voice of real films, for example:
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High Heels from The MacGuffin Library
In a tree-lined suburb of Champaign, Illinois, Jason Ruby returns home with his son after a day at the park to find his wife missing. There is nothing taken from the house, and no trace of her left behind. Months later, a letter arrives in the post containing a photograph of a woman who would appear to be his wife lying face down on the bed of a motel room. He and his son drive days and nights across the American Midwest in search of the motel. Once found, the motel attendant can tell him nothing other than that Jason has been expected and that another letter is waiting for him. Within it, there is another photograph of a woman who appears to be his wife face down on the bed of a motel room, except in this photo something weird, something inexplicable has happened, something which Jason must understand before the next motel room is booked.
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There are currently 18 objects in the library, their synopses covering a range of topics including urban myths and the relationship between media and memory. These short summaries of films that don’t exist are a playful take on the MacGuffin, incorporating objets into a context that previously lacked a plot or narrative. Writing my own film synopses for random objects may be a good way of familiarising myself with the concept of MacGuffins and exploring their relationship with their plots, and I could introduce variations of this process to explore further.
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The MacGuffin Magazine is a platform to find out things about “inspiring, personal, unexpected, highly familiar or utterly disregarded things” (Haaften, n.d.). With thorough research and careful design, each issue explores one object, for example a desk, ball or rope.
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This publication has an extremely strong visual language and immaculate graphics, and is an example of how a graphic designer can go about documenting and interacting with MacGuffins. It reminds me a lot of the publications we have been producing throughout the year in Graphics and Visual Communication.
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The final section of this blog will relate the process of my investigation of MacGuffins to Graphics and Visual Communication. As MacGuffins are most frequently referred to in film, it would be suitable to explore this topic through film making, which comes under the umbrella of Visual Communication. Film making would also allow me to explore art direction, screen writing, blocking and other methods involved in film. I have explored film in a few projects throughout the year, including the “Faking it” project and the “Ziggy Stardust” project.
I would also like to investigate my topic with photography and language, bringing into practise the skills I have learnt this year. These tests may result in posters or on digital media.
Getting to the bottom of what a MacGuffin is and how it is valued as a piece of communication could be another aim of this project. I can try deconstructing it as a concept, testing it in different contexts and extrapolating it’s principles to open up a view and form an opinion about its value in film and storytelling.
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