What’s in the briefcase? Not even Tarantino knew. Who cares? It’s a Macguffin?

Every story needs a starting point, a thing for our characters to want, a goal to pursue. These wants can be as varied as true love, fame and fortune, the identity of the mysterious killer, and on and on. In some stories, however, the thing the characters seek, is well…nothing at all.

Well, it exists, but its existence is, in the words of Alfred Hitchcock, “nonexistent.” If this sounds confusing, it’s because the thing we are seeking is the elusive MacGuffin, a term coined by the master of suspense and explained in the below video from Fandor.