Screenwriting Quote #170 (Lauren Shuler Donner)

August 9, 2012 by Scott W. Smith

“I do, actually [see most movies follow a three-act paradigm]. I see setting up the conflicts, escalating the conflicts, and resolving them. But I also learned a long, long time ago about ‘plot need’: Will Dorothy get home? Will Bogart get Bergman? What is Rosebud? It is why you sit in your seat, and, for me, it is the question the character always asks. What does the character want? What is the conflict? To me, that is ultimately how it breaks down into three acts. And that is what keeps you in your seat. You want to find out if the character will get what they need or what they want.”
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner (Any Given Sunday, X-Men, You’ve Got Mail, The Secret Life of Bees)
Zen and the Art of Screenwriting 2 by William Froug

Posted in Screenwriting Quotes | Tagged Any Given Sunday, Lauren Shuler Donner, The Secret Life of Bees, William Froug, X-Men, You've Got Mail, Zen and the art of Screenwriitng | 3 Comments

3 Responses

on August 9, 2012 at 11:31 am Steve Rosse

Those of us in the Art Department call the “Plot Need” the “McGuffin.” The Maltese Falcon, the Ring of Power, Pee-Wee’s Bicycle. Any prop that exists primarily so that the characters in a film or play can chase it around.
on August 9, 2012 at 1:25 pm Scott W. Smith

Steve—Hitchcock seems to be the one who populized the McGuffin theory. Check out this fun little video that’s taken from a 1972 interview of Hitchcock by Dick Cavett: https://vimeo.com/12375002

Hitchcock and George Lucas had different takes on a McGuffin. Hitchcock said it didn’t matter what it was, and Lucas said it was better if it did. I do think Rosebud in “Citizen Kane” (spolier alert) was more than just an object, but represents Charlie Kane’s lost childhood. More powerful than just a random thing that allowed us to glimpse into the life of Mr. Kane.

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post just on the McGuffin, but I think I will. Thanks for the reminder.
on August 11, 2012 at 7:15 pm ran

HI THERE,
I saw your lovely site while searching on yahoo.
gooood for you!!!:)))
How can I get there myself? wat’s the secret?

Comments are closed.

Screenwriting from Iowa

…and Other Unlikely Places