Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:17 - What is Chekhov's Gun? 03:21 - Knives Out Introduction 04:26 - Example 1 - The Blood Stain 06:19 - Example 2 - The Baseball 07:52 - Example 3 - The Knife Sculpture 09:42 - Takeaways
@@Visethelegend That's basically what it is. It evolved from having an actual prop gun on stage into foretelling of characters, actions and themes in movies.
It's fortelling bluntly, really. But the point of the concept isn't necessarily in what to do, but what not to do, which would be to create an accidental red herring. It's a facet of mise en scene, to make sure you are deliberate and intentional with what you show the audience. If the title was Knives Out, it was a murder mystery, there was regular show of a prominent knife display, and no character ever touched one, that would be the grandest failure possible, leaving the audience confused by the dissonance in a bad way.
@@thatman3107ell no he admits at the end that he solves the murder the moment he walks in and sees the blood on the shoe. He’s not trying to solve the murder because he already has
@@Lylybeebee no you didn’t get that poster’s point. Blanc spotted the blood and knew that Marta was involved in Harlan’s death, but he was trying to investigate who hired him anonymously and how they tied into this murder because surely that person can’t be innocent - hence solving who actually committed the murder. Seeing the blood on Marta’s shoe isn’t solving the murder yet bc he knew she couldn’t have been the one summoning him and thus it wouldn’t be a straightforward case as “she’s the murderer just bc her shoe has blood”
For the Knife Sculpture section, Harlan mentioned how Ransom wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife, and it came to fruition when he tried to stab Marta at the end with a knife from the sculpture
Two other instances of Chekhov's Gun in Knives Out, I feel: 1) the letter to Linda. We see Linda reading a letter from Harlan on the same stationary as she's talking to her brother. If you look, you can see the lettering looks burned, hinting that it's written in, likely, lemon juice, which turns invisible when dried, only to reappear when exposed to heat. 2) While Marta gives Harlan his meds, he comments on Ransom not being able to tell the difference between a prop and a real knife, and then Ransom grabs a prop knife from the wall.
Linda also mentions in her interview that she and her father (Harlan) had a "special way of communicating" (or some similar line), which is later paid off with the lemon juice letters! I love this movie
I wonder if the line about the prop vs real knife is also a nod to Marta subconciously knowing the proper medication apart from the morphine at a glance, god damn why did I wait so long to finally watch this
I thought for sure 2 would come up in this video. When I saw this movie and Ransom stabbed Marta, I immediately thought back to that line and thought "that's one of the best Chekhov's guns I've ever seen", because it was a two-in-one. Both the knife display and the line about Ransom's inability to identify a prop knife came into play right after each other, the latter resolving the former. Beautifully constructed.
@@Swenglish i also love how the knife display just seems to be a joke about chekov's guns throughout the entire movie, but then it actually ends up having a payoff
When Blanc and Marta first meet, Blanc happens to glance down at Marta's feet and keeps looking down for several seconds while continuing the conversation before returning his attention to Marta. No attention is drawn to it, but it takes place BEFORE the flashback revealing the truth about Harlan's death and the first shot of the blood drop, so by the time Marta's shoe becomes important, you've likely forgotten about it. If you keep that long look in mind, you can figure out that Blanc knew the truth about Marta well before he reveals it.
This is one of the things I love about this movie It gives you all the clues you could ever want but it gives them to you in an order that makes it so you would never suspect it
Omg same, I've been worrying about whether or not I should storyboard because I'm really bad at drawing but seeing someone who has made a good film yet made a bad looking drawing of the storyboard kinda actually gave me a confidence boost to just go and do it lmao
The funny thing that Ransom was incredibly clever and could very easily have written his own murder storys. Harlin even mentions that the medication switching was a genius idea. But he doesn't want to earn anything he wants it handed to him. Even the murder was second hand.
When the story unfolded and told Ransom thought about the scheme when he "needed to fend for himself" i was surprised Ransom could come up with that, but then I remembered his grandfather told he was just like him when he was young. Huge satisfaction to remember that line
Perhaps this is too obvious, but the literal title of the movie tells you that someone will inevitably try to use one of the knives. That paired with the use of the sculpture in so many shots keeps you thinking about what might happen.
Not to mention the placement of the knife sculpture in relation to the characters! Not a single character is placed in the center of the circle of knives until Benoit Blanc finally solves the mystery/makes the donut hole speech (iirc)
I feel like it would've been a more satisfying mystery if one of the knives was missing and then returned, bloodstained, or otherwise linked to the crime (also playing into the title). It could've been a wall of plastic baseball bats for all the effect it has on the plot.
@rmfx1402 but the whole point is that they're prop knives so that wouldn't make sense. And it is relevant when Ransom thinks they're real and attempts to kill Marta with one but obviously fails. If they were real / found missing then bloody etc, it would ruin the final twist
@@aceunavailable9141 Benny might have been the obvious moment when he sat there in the center, but even Martha was also framed with her head in the center of all those knives by the end as wdll.
For me one of the greatest Chekhov’s gun was in Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. In the first movie Will Turner made a sword for Norrington. Then it was appearing multiple times throughout the whole trilogy. And in the end of the third movie Davy Jones kills Will with this sword made by Will himself
Also when Norrington receives it, he remarks on how good it is (I think), then when norrington stabs Davy with it and dies, Davy takes it and remarks „nice sword“
I wouldnt consider that sword to be a chekovs gun, simply because it appears all throughout the series. Its almost like saying a main character is a chekovs gun
@@gorgitI would have to agree with this. The sword is more of a motif story device than a Chekhov’s Gun. It is seen throughout the series, but the sword itself has little meaning to the plot. After all, any random sword could’ve been used, but by having it be Will’s sword, it’s simply an excellent callback to the first movie.
The knives are in the shape of a donut in Knives Out, and there's a hole in the middle. And if I remember right, Marta sit's directly in the middle of it in her questioning filling the donut hole shaped hole. So I like to think of it as having a purpose in that case, and for when she tries to get stabbed.
It is more in the forshadowing category, but I really liked it when Harlan says: "[Ranson is] playing life like a game without consequence. Untill you can't tell the difference, between a stage prop, and a real knife"
The second half of the quote from Chekov is really helpful. It's easy to view Chekov's Gun as being entirely about conservation of information, and while that is a good thing to keep in mind, it's not a strict rule. That half about making promises reveals the true nature of Chekov's Gun: being mindful of what is there and how it appears to the audience. In a play, that difference is reduced, as everything visible to the audience should be thought through, but in a movie, it's more flexible. You can have elements that don't necessarily "go anywhere" if it works for the movie and the moment. It's more about thinking about what expectations the audience has based on what they are seeing and hearing and not accidentally building an expectation without being aware. You can break expectations if you know what you're doing, but that will almost certainly not work if you aren't being mindful of what is appearing in the scene and how it is viewed.
Great example - not just the Winchester but literally every tiny detail in the first act of the film is a setup to a punchline in the rest of the film. Genius.
I'm always excited to learn more about writing so this is a really cool video, but I just cackled at 9:24 with Johnson's storyboard. Makes me feel better about mine lmao
Chekov's Gun was a type-1 Phaser. It is a standard issue starfleet weapon that harnessed a Nadion Particle Beam to either stun or kill, depending on settings. It was first developed around 2250 as a replacement for the somewhat dated Laser pistol, which had both higher energy consumption and rate of failure. Chakov was also known to use a type-3 phaser, though rarely. This variant had a longer barrel on it and was typically refered to as a phaser rifle, intended for longer ranged engagements and sustained fire.
I don't know any movies that presented Chekhov’s Gun better than _Everything Everywhere All At Once._ I'll try not to spoil anything (because you need to see that movie if you have not) but the sign spinner, "Raccoonatouille" and even the motherlovin' _hotdog finger reality_ are all subtly presented and, later, impeccably tied back in to the story.
@@nibelsteiner929 Gotta disagree. The HFR was (SPOILERS!) a much-needed comedic break when it's first presented and later, where Evelyn learned to love the woman who was antagonizing her in her original reality, which also influenced how she ultimately ended the larger battle with Evil Joy.
The brilliance of Knives Out knives sculpture is, I don't expect any payoff. I just thought it was one of those overt symbolism art piece that you see. Like the taxidermy of birds above Norman Bates. I just thought it was symbolic. The fact that it was used made me stood up and clap. One of my favorite movies ever and I hated every movies made by this director before this.
It's certainly a good symbolism of the "donut" that Blanc was talking about. Once the donut no longer has a hole in it, Blanc's head fills the hole in the knives sculpture.
Another one is when Harlan commented that switching the two drug vials would be a good way to murder someone which is literally Ransom’s plan. Furthermore he commented on how much he sees himself in Ransom, further eluding to later plot points way earlier into the plot line. Knives out has been one of my favorite movies of all time, party due to how it wastes NO SCENE, every moment is important, every detail could be a clue. When you know and have seen the clue before the reveal, it adds impact when it’s finally called out. Knives out is a special kind of genius imo, I haven’t seen a movie quite like it.
On a similar note, as with many other youtube videos, if this came on network television ten years ago I would watch it. There isn't any extra reality aspect, made up drama, or unnecessary hand waving it just has good substance and it's been made by one person. Makes me wonder how shows with bug budgets can be so terrible.
Tremors was also really good at set up and pay off. There's even a subtle one, where they ride their horses by a man-made gully/ravine made of concrete and then while escaping on foot run away and come across it.
There was also the cup that said ..my house, my rules, my coffee in the opening shot and we saw marta drinking from that cup towards the end of the movie literally claiming the house as her own .
That's just blew my mind I had to watch it four times to grasp what's going on and I'm still watching it the fifth time great work #keepfilming 🙏🏾🤓🤔🤔🤔🤔
Brilliant. brilliant video. Knives Out is definitely a great example of this technique. Another movie that uses it really well is Mad Max: Fury Road. Every single prop and plot device set up, always comes in use
Its a great mix of subverting the lampshading aswell, you keep thinking "they cant fire all these guns" and then they do fire them all(in metaphorical and physical way) in such a satisfying climax
I think the movie "Exam" did this. -The countdown timer -The "lights out" dialogue -the test paper -the girl's hair pin and the pill -the guy's eyeglasses with the broken glasses -the "what is the question?" line
I've written a short about a small police checkpoint in Egypt and this is a beautiful gift so thank you. I subconsciously applied some of these things to the story but now that I have clear guidelines on how to apply Checkov's Gun, I'm going to go back and update my story. Thank you again.
I think an important part of a gun is to convince the audience it's already gone off before it truly has. Such as the knife wall, it serves as beautiful set piece to frame characters as they're being questioned, showing how Marta feels as though she has too many weapons pointed at her to reasonably deal with. The flamethrower in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood shows us how committed to the craft the main character was, but how ultimately it didn't matter since he's still ended up a dried up has been, so when the audience sees it we don't necessarily assume it will make another appearance other than character development. I haven't actually seen Midsommar since I am very easily frightened/disturbed and have been advised to avoid it, but the bear seems a bit on the nose as a gun, but you could reasonably justify its inclusion to show how different the community is to what they're used to, and that they're maybe out of there depth in terms of cultural understanding.
In Ant-Man, Scott has a goodbye-to-prison ritual where he trades punches with a huge inmate named Peachy. Luis, when picking up Scott from the prison, mentions "I'm still the only one who knocked him out." Later in the film when we finally get to see Luis hit people, we see he's got the one hit KO.
I could practically hear Harlan’s voice say how Ransom wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife in my head when Ransom tried to stab Marta. When I rewatched the movie, I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a flashback or voiceover of that line during that scene from how vividly I could remember the original line when it was revealed the knife was fake, chekov’s prop knife
'Chekhov's Gun' is a concept that describes how every element of a story should contribute to the whole. It comes from Anton Chekhov's famous book writing advice: 'If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there. '
To my mind, Chekhov's gun is limited to "if you aren't going to us an element, don't include it". It also covers having the solution/resolution of the plot or a plot point reliant on something shown to the audience before the reveal. It's a form of fair dealing between the writer/director and the audience. Especially within mysteries.
I agree. I always interpreted this as economy of story, not wasting words and staging on things that don’t matter. But I think over the years, very good writers have used this as a way to deliberately create suspense or even mislead … particularly in the mystery genre. So ‘Chekov’s Gun’ can be used differently, depending on genre, to play into or subvert the expectations of the audience.
@@RobStevens64Chekov’s Gun can definitely be used both ways. Even if someone isn’t writing a mystery, they can still use the concept to determine if they’re including too much information in their story. More writers should be asking themselves, “Why waste time describing every detail of a scene if most of the details will never come up again?” I’ve done this with my own writing and(sometimes sadly) I end up deleting whole chunks of chapters because I realize they have little to no influence on the overall plot.
Except the bloodstain is vital earlier on, a sufficiently canny viewer will pick up from his many hints that Benoit saw the shoe, and know he knows for almost the entire movie.
My favorite "Chekhov's Gun" is the stove in Hedda Gabler. It's in the play for the entire time, with it's flames growing bigger and bigger as the play goes on. You just know that it's important, and then the manuscript get's thrown into the flames. Brilliant.
In L.A. Confidential, there's a lot of good setups and payoffs. When we meet Susie with Stensland and later her mother doesn't recognize her face. When there's 2 men at the house already, when Exley arrives. And of course the unforgettable Rollo Tomasi.
The usage of Radiohead was a gun for me haha. Recognized the melody when played early but couldn't immediately name it and forgot it quickly, then laughed when Yorke sings "kniiiiiiives ouuuuuuut" at the end.
This is a great take of Chekovs Gun. You apply the ideas really well to Knives Out! What makes Knives Out so good is the production design of the knives sculpture! It looks like Art & fits so well for the Family. It's both symbolic, visually striking, and a good dramatic plot device.
I think you forgot to mention the most rewarding one in the movie, the character trait of "vomiting when lying", for that one had the most significant payout in the film.
This year one of my favourite movies came out and its plot seems built on Chekhov's Gun: Bullet Train. Throughout the whole movie things are constantly setup and paid off and called back to, with even things as mundane as a water bottle being utilised throughout the movies plot. It does tend to spell the way certain things utilise Chekhov's Gun out (again like the water bottle), but it's still an incredibly fun example.
Another important part of the knives display is that Thrombey specifically states that Ransom can't tell the difference between a prop knife and a real one
Sometime Chekovs gun can ruin surprises. I remember watching Young Sherlock Holmes in a middle school class. About the halfway point we went to lunch and the teacher asked me if I knew who the villain was yet. I said yeah the professor. He asked me why I thought that. I said because when Holmes was fencing with him his ring blinded Holmes for a second. They wouldn't have shown that if it wasn't going to be important later.
Breaking Bad has some amazing 'guns'. For example: in season 4, a few scenes in Jesse's house show a tiny robot vacuum cleaner. It serves no apparent purpose, until at the very end of the season. Then it becomes a major plot device when it enables Walter to trick Jesse into thinking it vacuumed up a vial of poison Jesse was holding on to, so as to hide the fact that Walter had it stolen from Jesse.
I think Tenet is FULL of Chekov's gun. From the algorithm appearing at the beginning, to scenes being revisited after inverting, the tag on Neil's backpack, etc.
A nice touch that hints at Benoit having already figured it out it how he constantly uses the phrase "...is afoot", because the incriminating detail is on her shoe.
The knife sculpture being there in plain sight could also be used as a continuous foreshadowing for how the the family members are all somewhat malicious throughout and suddenly turn on Marta once she receives the will. Especially with the shot of her in the centre of them.
I literally chuckled when I noticed how blatant the knives sculpture was a Chekhov’s Gun upon first viewing. Didn’t realize how clever the other ones were until after of course - after this video that is! Lol
Ok I'm new to your channel but immediately the International Phonetic Alphabet for the intro and the regular english in the slashes. So nerdy and I love it.
Thank you, this is brilliant video. Very insightful and informative, and a great choice picking Knives Out. That film is an under-appreciated masterpiece
Although Ana de armas and the actresses that play her mother and sister are all Cuban so even though it’s never explicitly stated and it becomes a kind of joke, my guess is they are also all Cuban in the movie
I always think of the movie “Life is Beautiful” when I think of Chekov’s Gun. The way it uses the elements in the story like the doctor’s riddles, the Game, the tank, and all the others really build the theme and story.
I really like these uses of Chekhov's guns and hyperstylised plots in general, but then again I sometimes like when storytelling is a bit less efficient and thus more unpredictable. I am actually fine with SOME Chekhov's guns not being fired in exchange for a less schematic, more realistic plot development. Like when the gun is an option, not a necessity. I'd sometimes prefer more plots would be a little bit "messier" so we're genuinely surprised when anything happens. Thanos' death in Endgame is a good example. But I think this is very hard to do in a satisfying way that still pleases the audience. A similar trope is when you see famous actors in the background you know they will become important within a few seconds. I sometimes wish that just once, a movie can just prominently and excessively use DiCaprio as an background actor in one scene and have fun with the idea that he never even interacts with the protagonists, keeping the audience guessing. :->
In the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, they made this really big casting mistake where they cast three lesser known actors and an A-list star (Colin Firth) for the four suspects. Everyone knew what was coming. They avoided this in the TV version, where everyone, except for Alec Guinness as George Smiley, was played by very good, but lesser known character actors. (Ian Richardson, who played the traitor in the BBC version, was a virtual unknown outside of theatre circles at the time - but what a performance it was!)
@@TheTrueMasterOfTheFist 😂😂 it doesn't take me time to look for a highly rated movie on google either kiddo. You probably like that movie cus you like staring at Brad Pitt's abs, but sadly for you that doesn't count as a point of review. The fact that you think knives out is crap is enough proof that you have dumb taste in movies.
During the Go match there is a direct callout that "My grandson cant tell the difference between real and fake knives" That comment stood out and was a bit of foundation building for the final scene.
Best thing about any movie is making sure we only see what’s relevant/necessary to the story....Ari Aster is a great example of every scene being it’s own photograph if you pause the movie....Another example from the 70’s is John Boormans Point Blank with Lee Marvin....☝️
Great breakdown! Your channel is such a wonderful resource for creatives. Thank you so much for all that you do! :) Wish you health, peace, and happiness.
Pretty good video! I think that like most narrative concepts/"rules", there is grace in both adhesion and subversion. Always fun to see both combined and executed in a satisfying way.
I found something amusing . Detective Blank talked about the hole in the donut.And we find the knife sculpture is donut shape with a hole in the centre. In the end we can see Ransom confess infront of the knife scupture which figuratively fills up the hole.And the prop knife playing the instrumental role in finishing the story. Brilliant storytelling by Rian Johnson
In "Good Will Hunting", we have something resembling a Chekhov's Gun - but I don't know if it actually qualifies as such, as it is not a prop but an idea. At a certain point Sean Maguire asks Will wether he has a friend who really challenges him. His friend Chuckie is immediately discarded because Sean believes (like we all do) that Chuckie was the kind of friend who would throw himself in front of a truck for you, but was too stupid to really make you reflect your life choices. Later, it is exactly this Chuckie who gives Will the talk he needs. This doesn't only change the story but completely alters the relationship between those two guys in a way that nobody would have expected. There is a certain difference between a classical "Chekhov's gun" and this, because a gun is meant to be rubbed into the audience's face in a way that you cannot overlook it, whereas dialogs like these are invisible at first and go by unnoticed, but gain an immense importance later in a different context. Is there a name for a dramatic element like this? Maybe one could call it a "plant" or something.
Nobody had a few Checkov guns in it. One important one was the gun Charlie gives Hutch that he puts in the freezer. The knife Nic Cage gives John Travolta's daughter while pretending to be her dad in Face Off. I wish I could remember some non-weapon examples.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:17 - What is Chekhov's Gun?
03:21 - Knives Out Introduction
04:26 - Example 1 - The Blood Stain
06:19 - Example 2 - The Baseball
07:52 - Example 3 - The Knife Sculpture
09:42 - Takeaways
So Chekhov’s Gun is the complicated name for Foreshadowing?
@@Visethelegend That's basically what it is. It evolved from having an actual prop gun on stage into foretelling of characters, actions and themes in movies.
It's fortelling bluntly, really. But the point of the concept isn't necessarily in what to do, but what not to do, which would be to create an accidental red herring. It's a facet of mise en scene, to make sure you are deliberate and intentional with what you show the audience. If the title was Knives Out, it was a murder mystery, there was regular show of a prominent knife display, and no character ever touched one, that would be the grandest failure possible, leaving the audience confused by the dissonance in a bad way.
Going from knifes out to takeaways...skip, skipped. Thanks for the timeline.
I love the fact that Benoit Blanc isn’t trying to solve the murder, he’s trying to solve who sent him cash
and thus he's trying to solve the murder, because an innocent party won't tip anonymously in a murder case that happened just the previous night.
@@thatman3107ell no he admits at the end that he solves the murder the moment he walks in and sees the blood on the shoe. He’s not trying to solve the murder because he already has
@@Lylybeebee no you didn’t get that poster’s point. Blanc spotted the blood and knew that Marta was involved in Harlan’s death, but he was trying to investigate who hired him anonymously and how they tied into this murder because surely that person can’t be innocent - hence solving who actually committed the murder. Seeing the blood on Marta’s shoe isn’t solving the murder yet bc he knew she couldn’t have been the one summoning him and thus it wouldn’t be a straightforward case as “she’s the murderer just bc her shoe has blood”
@@Lylybeebee more like he just knows that Martha was involved in the murder which just gives him more info to work with.
And thus solved the murder. He didn't play Ransoms Game.
For the Knife Sculpture section, Harlan mentioned how Ransom wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife, and it came to fruition when he tried to stab Marta at the end with a knife from the sculpture
Great observation!
Yes it was the more obvious one. I knew it would come to play at one point
Also, the sculpture points to the guilty one on the Bluray case. Just sayin' 😄
Exactly what i was thinking!
Doesn't he also make an offhand comment about the knife he has in his room upstairs being the only real knife in the house?
Two other instances of Chekhov's Gun in Knives Out, I feel:
1) the letter to Linda. We see Linda reading a letter from Harlan on the same stationary as she's talking to her brother. If you look, you can see the lettering looks burned, hinting that it's written in, likely, lemon juice, which turns invisible when dried, only to reappear when exposed to heat.
2) While Marta gives Harlan his meds, he comments on Ransom not being able to tell the difference between a prop and a real knife, and then Ransom grabs a prop knife from the wall.
Linda also mentions in her interview that she and her father (Harlan) had a "special way of communicating" (or some similar line), which is later paid off with the lemon juice letters! I love this movie
I wonder if the line about the prop vs real knife is also a nod to Marta subconciously knowing the proper medication apart from the morphine at a glance, god damn why did I wait so long to finally watch this
I thought for sure 2 would come up in this video. When I saw this movie and Ransom stabbed Marta, I immediately thought back to that line and thought "that's one of the best Chekhov's guns I've ever seen", because it was a two-in-one. Both the knife display and the line about Ransom's inability to identify a prop knife came into play right after each other, the latter resolving the former. Beautifully constructed.
@@Swenglish i also love how the knife display just seems to be a joke about chekov's guns throughout the entire movie, but then it actually ends up having a payoff
When Blanc and Marta first meet, Blanc happens to glance down at Marta's feet and keeps looking down for several seconds while continuing the conversation before returning his attention to Marta. No attention is drawn to it, but it takes place BEFORE the flashback revealing the truth about Harlan's death and the first shot of the blood drop, so by the time Marta's shoe becomes important, you've likely forgotten about it. If you keep that long look in mind, you can figure out that Blanc knew the truth about Marta well before he reveals it.
This is one of the things I love about this movie
It gives you all the clues you could ever want but it gives them to you in an order that makes it so you would never suspect it
Oh I didn't even notice that!
Like an master detective, he knew before we knew yet we feel like we know more than he does until the rug is ripped out from under us.
I still don't think he actually could have seen that small drop of blood that could easily be in the shadow of a lace.
seeing rian's drawing at 9:24 makes me feel less bad about my storyboard
😂😂
😂😂😂😂same
Omg same, I've been worrying about whether or not I should storyboard because I'm really bad at drawing but seeing someone who has made a good film yet made a bad looking drawing of the storyboard kinda actually gave me a confidence boost to just go and do it lmao
@@ponoma773 good luck with the storyboards bro 👍
@@Joker-sy4xr Thanks!
The funny thing that Ransom was incredibly clever and could very easily have written his own murder storys. Harlin even mentions that the medication switching was a genius idea. But he doesn't want to earn anything he wants it handed to him. Even the murder was second hand.
When the story unfolded and told Ransom thought about the scheme when he "needed to fend for himself" i was surprised Ransom could come up with that, but then I remembered his grandfather told he was just like him when he was young. Huge satisfaction to remember that line
“Even the murder was second hand” damn that’s a good roast
Perhaps this is too obvious, but the literal title of the movie tells you that someone will inevitably try to use one of the knives. That paired with the use of the sculpture in so many shots keeps you thinking about what might happen.
Not to mention the placement of the knife sculpture in relation to the characters! Not a single character is placed in the center of the circle of knives until Benoit Blanc finally solves the mystery/makes the donut hole speech (iirc)
I feel like it would've been a more satisfying mystery if one of the knives was missing and then returned, bloodstained, or otherwise linked to the crime (also playing into the title). It could've been a wall of plastic baseball bats for all the effect it has on the plot.
Also the poster for the movie has the knife sculpture in the background cementing the idea from the start
@rmfx1402 but the whole point is that they're prop knives so that wouldn't make sense. And it is relevant when Ransom thinks they're real and attempts to kill Marta with one but obviously fails. If they were real / found missing then bloody etc, it would ruin the final twist
@@aceunavailable9141 Benny might have been the obvious moment when he sat there in the center, but even Martha was also framed with her head in the center of all those knives by the end as wdll.
For me one of the greatest Chekhov’s gun was in Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. In the first movie Will Turner made a sword for Norrington. Then it was appearing multiple times throughout the whole trilogy. And in the end of the third movie Davy Jones kills Will with this sword made by Will himself
Great observation!
Also when Norrington receives it, he remarks on how good it is (I think), then when norrington stabs Davy with it and dies, Davy takes it and remarks „nice sword“
And then with Jack’s help, Will uses it to kill Jones
I wouldnt consider that sword to be a chekovs gun, simply because it appears all throughout the series. Its almost like saying a main character is a chekovs gun
@@gorgitI would have to agree with this. The sword is more of a motif story device than a Chekhov’s Gun. It is seen throughout the series, but the sword itself has little meaning to the plot. After all, any random sword could’ve been used, but by having it be Will’s sword, it’s simply an excellent callback to the first movie.
I loved this film's screenplay because nothing was left unexplained and in the end everything that was said had a reason for being.
Yup, tight narrative storytelling!
The knives are in the shape of a donut in Knives Out, and there's a hole in the middle. And if I remember right, Marta sit's directly in the middle of it in her questioning filling the donut hole shaped hole. So I like to think of it as having a purpose in that case, and for when she tries to get stabbed.
It definitely has a purpose!
With all of the knives pointing in at her, it is also a bit of a doom prophet.
you can also look at it as a halo around her head as being the only good person in that mess.
sits*
Learn to use apostrophes properly
Oooh! I didn’t even catch that!
It is more in the forshadowing category, but I really liked it when Harlan says: "[Ranson is] playing life like a game without consequence. Untill you can't tell the difference, between a stage prop, and a real knife"
The second half of the quote from Chekov is really helpful. It's easy to view Chekov's Gun as being entirely about conservation of information, and while that is a good thing to keep in mind, it's not a strict rule. That half about making promises reveals the true nature of Chekov's Gun: being mindful of what is there and how it appears to the audience. In a play, that difference is reduced, as everything visible to the audience should be thought through, but in a movie, it's more flexible. You can have elements that don't necessarily "go anywhere" if it works for the movie and the moment.
It's more about thinking about what expectations the audience has based on what they are seeing and hearing and not accidentally building an expectation without being aware. You can break expectations if you know what you're doing, but that will almost certainly not work if you aren't being mindful of what is appearing in the scene and how it is viewed.
A suggestion for a future video: The MacGuffin (whether it is a "What Is?" or a "Page to Picture" episode).
Thanks for the suggestion!
Transformers films are full of it
Shaun of the dead has a very literal but perfectly executed chekhov's gun. I think that's my favourite.
Great example - not just the Winchester but literally every tiny detail in the first act of the film is a setup to a punchline in the rest of the film. Genius.
@@StansStuff totally, the jukebox for example. Gold.
it's a great one!
@@philipschilthuis and the fruit machine as well
Blanc's multiple use of "something is 'afoot'" was another reference that he knew about the drop of blood the whole time.
I'm always excited to learn more about writing so this is a really cool video, but I just cackled at 9:24 with Johnson's storyboard. Makes me feel better about mine lmao
Chekov's Gun was a type-1 Phaser. It is a standard issue starfleet weapon that harnessed a Nadion Particle Beam to either stun or kill, depending on settings. It was first developed around 2250 as a replacement for the somewhat dated Laser pistol, which had both higher energy consumption and rate of failure.
Chakov was also known to use a type-3 phaser, though rarely. This variant had a longer barrel on it and was typically refered to as a phaser rifle, intended for longer ranged engagements and sustained fire.
Not gonna lie. I always thought this concept had something to do with an episode of Star Trek. I'm glad I finally looked it up.
Did you get that from Wikipedia? I was told that they are very accurate and should be trusted unquestionably.
I don't know any movies that presented Chekhov’s Gun better than _Everything Everywhere All At Once._ I'll try not to spoil anything (because you need to see that movie if you have not) but the sign spinner, "Raccoonatouille" and even the motherlovin' _hotdog finger reality_ are all subtly presented and, later, impeccably tied back in to the story.
I wouldn't call that impeccable, the hotdog realm ruined the immersion every time xD
@@nibelsteiner929 Gotta disagree. The HFR was (SPOILERS!) a much-needed comedic break when it's first presented and later, where Evelyn learned to love the woman who was antagonizing her in her original reality, which also influenced how she ultimately ended the larger battle with Evil Joy.
Ha, that waynes world chekov's gun clip being used in this video... as a chekov's gun. Beautiful XD
haha glad you caught that
The brilliance of Knives Out knives sculpture is, I don't expect any payoff. I just thought it was one of those overt symbolism art piece that you see. Like the taxidermy of birds above Norman Bates. I just thought it was symbolic. The fact that it was used made me stood up and clap. One of my favorite movies ever and I hated every movies made by this director before this.
It's certainly a good symbolism of the "donut" that Blanc was talking about. Once the donut no longer has a hole in it, Blanc's head fills the hole in the knives sculpture.
Which movies of his did you see and hate? I’ve only disliked one, and it’s the same one that no else likes.
Nice how you incorporated Radiohead's "Knives Out" in the video!
Glad you liked it!
Another one is when Harlan commented that switching the two drug vials would be a good way to murder someone which is literally Ransom’s plan. Furthermore he commented on how much he sees himself in Ransom, further eluding to later plot points way earlier into the plot line. Knives out has been one of my favorite movies of all time, party due to how it wastes NO SCENE, every moment is important, every detail could be a clue. When you know and have seen the clue before the reveal, it adds impact when it’s finally called out.
Knives out is a special kind of genius imo, I haven’t seen a movie quite like it.
Sometimes I wonder how this could all be free.
I'm like are you sure I'm not supposed to pay for this...
Thanks for all the lessons, StudioBinder.
Your fee is to like, share, and subscribe 😉
@@StudioBinder I always do.
On a similar note, as with many other youtube videos, if this came on network television ten years ago I would watch it. There isn't any extra reality aspect, made up drama, or unnecessary hand waving it just has good substance and it's been made by one person. Makes me wonder how shows with bug budgets can be so terrible.
Tremors was also really good at set up and pay off.
There's even a subtle one, where they ride their horses by a man-made gully/ravine made of concrete and then while escaping on foot run away and come across it.
There was also the cup that said ..my house, my rules, my coffee in the opening shot and we saw marta drinking from that cup towards the end of the movie literally claiming the house as her own .
I recently rewatched Back to the Future, and man that is another masterclass in Chekhov’s gun
That's just blew my mind I had to watch it four times to grasp what's going on and I'm still watching it the fifth time great work #keepfilming 🙏🏾🤓🤔🤔🤔🤔
Glad you're enjoying it!
When you think about it, so many things about Harlan's "death" are practically screaming at you that all is not as it seems.
Brilliant. brilliant video. Knives Out is definitely a great example of this technique. Another movie that uses it really well is Mad Max: Fury Road. Every single prop and plot device set up, always comes in use
Both are great examples to study
“It’s a bear!” Is my new favorite thing
ours too :)
Please make a video on 'Chekhov's gun' vs a 'McGuffin'. How these two are different although important for plot progression.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Pretty much the entirety of the movie Hot Fuzz is an armory of these guns, including an actual armory.
Its a great mix of subverting the lampshading aswell, you keep thinking "they cant fire all these guns" and then they do fire them all(in metaphorical and physical way) in such a satisfying climax
I think the movie "Exam" did this.
-The countdown timer
-The "lights out" dialogue
-the test paper
-the girl's hair pin and the pill
-the guy's eyeglasses with the broken glasses
-the "what is the question?" line
That's a great example!
I've written a short about a small police checkpoint in Egypt and this is a beautiful gift so thank you. I subconsciously applied some of these things to the story but now that I have clear guidelines on how to apply Checkov's Gun, I'm going to go back and update my story. Thank you again.
Would love to read or watch it
Good luck finishing the script!
@@nicholasdranfile9312 I would absolutely love to send you it when it's done.
I like that the James Bond films traditionally have a Q scene entirely dedicated to setting up various Chekov’s Guns
I think an important part of a gun is to convince the audience it's already gone off before it truly has. Such as the knife wall, it serves as beautiful set piece to frame characters as they're being questioned, showing how Marta feels as though she has too many weapons pointed at her to reasonably deal with. The flamethrower in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood shows us how committed to the craft the main character was, but how ultimately it didn't matter since he's still ended up a dried up has been, so when the audience sees it we don't necessarily assume it will make another appearance other than character development. I haven't actually seen Midsommar since I am very easily frightened/disturbed and have been advised to avoid it, but the bear seems a bit on the nose as a gun, but you could reasonably justify its inclusion to show how different the community is to what they're used to, and that they're maybe out of there depth in terms of cultural understanding.
I've heard Chekhov's gun explained so many different ways, but nothing has been so useful and informative as this video. Thank you so much!
Chekhov is an amazing author, some of his short stories are worth adapting, really! Great one Studio Binder!
Appreciate it!
In Ant-Man, Scott has a goodbye-to-prison ritual where he trades punches with a huge inmate named Peachy. Luis, when picking up Scott from the prison, mentions "I'm still the only one who knocked him out." Later in the film when we finally get to see Luis hit people, we see he's got the one hit KO.
I could practically hear Harlan’s voice say how Ransom wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife in my head when Ransom tried to stab Marta. When I rewatched the movie, I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a flashback or voiceover of that line during that scene from how vividly I could remember the original line when it was revealed the knife was fake, chekov’s prop knife
Here we go again with a perfect episode ❤️
It was a very low quality example they should have used a director with talent
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@TheTrueMasterOfTheFist Lmao someone clearly hasn't seen Knives Out
'Chekhov's Gun' is a concept that describes how every element of a story should contribute to the whole. It comes from Anton Chekhov's famous book writing advice: 'If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there. '
Spot on!
Yes very much my interpretation as well. Like the concept of mise en scene, your prop usage should be very intentional.
To my mind, Chekhov's gun is limited to "if you aren't going to us an element, don't include it". It also covers having the solution/resolution of the plot or a plot point reliant on something shown to the audience before the reveal.
It's a form of fair dealing between the writer/director and the audience. Especially within mysteries.
I agree. I always interpreted this as economy of story, not wasting words and staging on things that don’t matter. But I think over the years, very good writers have used this as a way to deliberately create suspense or even mislead … particularly in the mystery genre. So ‘Chekov’s Gun’ can be used differently, depending on genre, to play into or subvert the expectations of the audience.
@@RobStevens64In which case, it’s no longer Chekhov’s Gun. It’s a Red Herring
@@RobStevens64Chekov’s Gun can definitely be used both ways. Even if someone isn’t writing a mystery, they can still use the concept to determine if they’re including too much information in their story. More writers should be asking themselves, “Why waste time describing every detail of a scene if most of the details will never come up again?” I’ve done this with my own writing and(sometimes sadly) I end up deleting whole chunks of chapters because I realize they have little to no influence on the overall plot.
Knives out was perfect storytelling, but the ref at the end to mad max - also an astonishingly good film - the weapons, the boot, the blood - amazing
Except the bloodstain is vital earlier on, a sufficiently canny viewer will pick up from his many hints that Benoit saw the shoe, and know he knows for almost the entire movie.
but doesnt he look down at the stain before we see it thus being only something a repeat viewer could possibly notice?
@@KumoCC "oh, so that's why he looked down at her feet the first time he meets her and then keeps mentioning them" basically.
He may have not been a good choice for star wars, but Ryan Johnson nailed this movie.
My favorite "Chekhov's Gun" is the stove in Hedda Gabler. It's in the play for the entire time, with it's flames growing bigger and bigger as the play goes on. You just know that it's important, and then the manuscript get's thrown into the flames. Brilliant.
if you haven't seen it, Knives Out! Brilliant work.
Saw this for the first time last week, absolutely enjoyable movie, i honestly cant remember when last i had that much fun watching a movie. so good
It's definitely worth a watch 👌
In L.A. Confidential, there's a lot of good setups and payoffs. When we meet Susie with Stensland and later her mother doesn't recognize her face. When there's 2 men at the house already, when Exley arrives. And of course the unforgettable Rollo Tomasi.
The usage of Radiohead was a gun for me haha. Recognized the melody when played early but couldn't immediately name it and forgot it quickly, then laughed when Yorke sings "kniiiiiiives ouuuuuuut" at the end.
This is a great take of Chekovs Gun. You apply the ideas really well to Knives Out! What makes Knives Out so good is the production design of the knives sculpture! It looks like Art & fits so well for the Family. It's both symbolic, visually striking, and a good dramatic plot device.
I think you forgot to mention the most rewarding one in the movie, the character trait of "vomiting when lying", for that one had the most significant payout in the film.
In russian modern cinema we have Bondarchuck's gun. There might be a couple of them but no one is gonna shoot🤣
Ахаххаха
😂 That's hilarious
@@StudioBinder Yeah🤣
I learned something today. I had never heard the phrase "Chekhov's Gun". And now I also know what it means. Good video!
Was waiting for you to do a video on Chekov's gun... and here it is! 😃
Hope it was worth the wait!
This year one of my favourite movies came out and its plot seems built on Chekhov's Gun: Bullet Train. Throughout the whole movie things are constantly setup and paid off and called back to, with even things as mundane as a water bottle being utilised throughout the movies plot. It does tend to spell the way certain things utilise Chekhov's Gun out (again like the water bottle), but it's still an incredibly fun example.
My favourites:
• Ricky's father's gun in American Beauty
And
• Will Turner's Sword in Pirates of the Carribbean Trilogy
Another important part of the knives display is that Thrombey specifically states that Ransom can't tell the difference between a prop knife and a real one
Sometime Chekovs gun can ruin surprises. I remember watching Young Sherlock Holmes in a middle school class. About the halfway point we went to lunch and the teacher asked me if I knew who the villain was yet. I said yeah the professor. He asked me why I thought that. I said because when Holmes was fencing with him his ring blinded Holmes for a second. They wouldn't have shown that if it wasn't going to be important later.
Every single Breaking Bad episode had the Chekhov's Gun
Now I am gonna read the book Chekov's Play that has been eating dust for ages. Thanks a ton for this essential video.
Happy reading!
Not a movie, but breaking bad had an excellent use of the chekhov's gun with the ricin.
Great example!
God I love everything about Knives Out.
It's a great film 👌
Breaking Bad has some amazing 'guns'. For example: in season 4, a few scenes in Jesse's house show a tiny robot vacuum cleaner. It serves no apparent purpose, until at the very end of the season. Then it becomes a major plot device when it enables Walter to trick Jesse into thinking it vacuumed up a vial of poison Jesse was holding on to, so as to hide the fact that Walter had it stolen from Jesse.
I think Tenet is FULL of Chekov's gun. From the algorithm appearing at the beginning, to scenes being revisited after inverting, the tag on Neil's backpack, etc.
I was waiting for this
You delivered 👍
It's what we do ;)
Good video I love that movie knives out
It's a great movie 👍
A nice touch that hints at Benoit having already figured it out it how he constantly uses the phrase "...is afoot", because the incriminating detail is on her shoe.
Finally found this term. I've been subconsciously guessing Chekhov's Gun since child and almost nailed every single one.
After watching Knives Out: Glass Onion, I now believe Rian Johnson added the “friend staying over” character to spite Chekhov.
The knife sculpture being there in plain sight could also be used as a continuous foreshadowing for how the the family members are all somewhat malicious throughout and suddenly turn on Marta once she receives the will. Especially with the shot of her in the centre of them.
I literally chuckled when I noticed how blatant the knives sculpture was a Chekhov’s Gun upon first viewing. Didn’t realize how clever the other ones were until after of course - after this video that is! Lol
Yeah, the sculpture is almost cheeky in its bluntness haha
Ok I'm new to your channel but immediately the International Phonetic Alphabet for the intro and the regular english in the slashes. So nerdy and I love it.
Thank you, this is brilliant video. Very insightful and informative, and a great choice picking Knives Out. That film is an under-appreciated masterpiece
Glad you liked it!
@@StudioBinder seems everyone else did too, good work as always 👍
Although Ana de armas and the actresses that play her mother and sister are all Cuban so even though it’s never explicitly stated and it becomes a kind of joke, my guess is they are also all Cuban in the movie
This man put so much into this video
The forklift mech in Aliens is one of the best chekov's gun.
I always think of the movie “Life is Beautiful” when I think of Chekov’s Gun. The way it uses the elements in the story like the doctor’s riddles, the Game, the tank, and all the others really build the theme and story.
I really like these uses of Chekhov's guns and hyperstylised plots in general, but then again I sometimes like when storytelling is a bit less efficient and thus more unpredictable. I am actually fine with SOME Chekhov's guns not being fired in exchange for a less schematic, more realistic plot development. Like when the gun is an option, not a necessity. I'd sometimes prefer more plots would be a little bit "messier" so we're genuinely surprised when anything happens. Thanos' death in Endgame is a good example. But I think this is very hard to do in a satisfying way that still pleases the audience.
A similar trope is when you see famous actors in the background you know they will become important within a few seconds. I sometimes wish that just once, a movie can just prominently and excessively use DiCaprio as an background actor in one scene and have fun with the idea that he never even interacts with the protagonists, keeping the audience guessing. :->
That would be a great way to subvert expectations!
In the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, they made this really big casting mistake where they cast three lesser known actors and an A-list star (Colin Firth) for the four suspects. Everyone knew what was coming. They avoided this in the TV version, where everyone, except for Alec Guinness as George Smiley, was played by very good, but lesser known character actors. (Ian Richardson, who played the traitor in the BBC version, was a virtual unknown outside of theatre circles at the time - but what a performance it was!)
Knives Out was an amazing movie. Johnson is really good at writing scripts, and his cinematographer is amazing as well.
One of the best of 2019!
@@StudioBinder one of the best of 2019? Hahaha man 2019 must have been the weakest year in cinema history if that’s the case. Knives out was trash.
@@TheTrueMasterOfTheFist nah, you just have really bad taste in movies.
@@akhilnair1137 My favourite movie is Once upon a time in the West. What’s yours? Black Panther? LOL
@@TheTrueMasterOfTheFist 😂😂 it doesn't take me time to look for a highly rated movie on google either kiddo. You probably like that movie cus you like staring at Brad Pitt's abs, but sadly for you that doesn't count as a point of review. The fact that you think knives out is crap is enough proof that you have dumb taste in movies.
During the Go match there is a direct callout that "My grandson cant tell the difference between real and fake knives" That comment stood out and was a bit of foundation building for the final scene.
Studio Binder, my film school.
Welcome to the Spring semester :)
i love the radiohead song "Knives Out" being played
Best thing about any movie is making sure we only see what’s relevant/necessary to the story....Ari Aster is a great example of every scene being it’s own photograph if you pause the movie....Another example from the 70’s is John Boormans Point Blank with Lee Marvin....☝️
Great examples!
Can't help but think of Blanc's donut metaphor when looking at Marta at the center of the knife sculpture.
"Detective Blank!"
"Mr Blanc.. if you please."
1:50 glad to see two of eric andre's interviewees collaborating
Let's talk about Tarantino, in Kill Bill 2 when But is having an argument with the boss we always see a rifle in the corner but... no, no one take it
Good call!
Great breakdown! Your channel is such a wonderful resource for creatives. Thank you so much for all that you do! :) Wish you health, peace, and happiness.
Pretty good video! I think that like most narrative concepts/"rules", there is grace in both adhesion and subversion. Always fun to see both combined and executed in a satisfying way.
Can't wait for you to make a part 2 for this in Glass Onion, that movie is filled to the brim with Chekov's everything 👌👌
Wow this Ryan Jonston fellow really subverted my expectations with his clever use of "Chekovs Gun".
I love that even though Chekhov said that, he’s broken that rule a lot hahah
do what he says not what he does haha
Knives Out is a masterpiece!!
0:18 using "Knives Out" from Radiohead as backtrack when the movie "Knives Out" will be used as principal theme. Good, really good.
THANKS STUDIOBINDER FOR ONE MORE GREAT ANALYSIS! Knives Out is a masterpiece in many senses and Rian is a misunderstood director.
I found something amusing .
Detective Blank talked about the hole in the donut.And we find the knife sculpture is donut shape with a hole in the centre.
In the end we can see Ransom confess infront of the knife scupture which figuratively fills up the hole.And the prop knife playing the instrumental role in finishing the story.
Brilliant storytelling by Rian Johnson
In "Good Will Hunting", we have something resembling a Chekhov's Gun - but I don't know if it actually qualifies as such, as it is not a prop but an idea. At a certain point Sean Maguire asks Will wether he has a friend who really challenges him. His friend Chuckie is immediately discarded because Sean believes (like we all do) that Chuckie was the kind of friend who would throw himself in front of a truck for you, but was too stupid to really make you reflect your life choices. Later, it is exactly this Chuckie who gives Will the talk he needs. This doesn't only change the story but completely alters the relationship between those two guys in a way that nobody would have expected.
There is a certain difference between a classical "Chekhov's gun" and this, because a gun is meant to be rubbed into the audience's face in a way that you cannot overlook it, whereas dialogs like these are invisible at first and go by unnoticed, but gain an immense importance later in a different context. Is there a name for a dramatic element like this? Maybe one could call it a "plant" or something.
Nobody had a few Checkov guns in it. One important one was the gun Charlie gives Hutch that he puts in the freezer. The knife Nic Cage gives John Travolta's daughter while pretending to be her dad in Face Off. I wish I could remember some non-weapon examples.