McGuffin by Hitchcock from isaac niemand on Vimeo.
Any way you spell them, they’re a screenwriting staple. (via [Movie City Indie](http://www.mcnblogs.com/mcindie/archives/2010/06/animating_hitch.html))
Glossary
On protagonists
In earlier posts, I’ve talked about [protagonists and heroes](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/whats-the-difference-between-hero-main-character-and-protagonist) at length. Yesterday [Michael Goldenberg](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0325533/) offered a a new description that I love:
**The protagonist is the character that suffers the most.**
In one sentence, both definition and practical advice. Perfect.
Shoe leather and bric-a-brac
[Artful Writer](http://artfulwriter.com) has a great list of [shorthand jargon](http://artfulwriter.com/archives/2005/04/test_ms_html.html) from the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker school of comedy. Even if you never end up using the terms, they provide a useful guide to the do’s and don’t-do’s of comedy writing.
While you’re reading up, check out John Roger’s [comedy glossary](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/04/writing-jargon-preservation.html) at [Kung Fu Monkey](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/). (Link via [Artful Writer](http://artfulwriter.com))
Glossary: Residuals
RESIDUALS
Payments made to a film or television writer when his or her work is sold to another venue, such as a feature film sold on DVD, or a network television episode shown in syndication. These fees are negotiated and collected on behalf of the writer by the Writers Guild of America.