@mytechtoday/augment-extensions 1.5.2 → 1.6.1

package/augment-extensions/writing-standards/screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors/alfred-hitchcock/module.json

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+{
+  "name": "cinematic-styles-directors-alfred-hitchcock",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "displayName": "Alfred Hitchcock Style Guide",
+  "description": "Screenplay style guide for Alfred Hitchcock",
+  "type": "writing-standards",
+  "category": "screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors",
+  "tags": [
+    "screenplay",
+    "cinematic-style",
+    "director",
+    "auteur",
+    "alfred-hitchcock"
+  ],
+  "dependencies": {
+    "required": [],
+    "optional": [
+      "writing-standards/screenplay"
+    ]
+  },
+  "augment": {
+    "characterCount": 5000,
+    "priority": "medium",
+    "category": "cinematic-styles",
+    "appliesTo": {
+      "filePatterns": [
+        "**/*.fountain",
+        "**/*.screenplay",
+        "**/screenplay/**/*.md",
+        "**/screenplays/**/*"
+      ],
+      "languages": [
+        "fountain",
+        "markdown"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "installation": {
+    "required": false,
+    "steps": [
+      "Link module: augx link writing-standards/screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors/alfred-hitchcock",
+      "Configure active style in .augment/screenplay-config.json"
+    ]
+  },
+  "contents": {
+    "rules": [
+      "alfred-hitchcock.md"
+    ]
+  }
+}

package/augment-extensions/writing-standards/screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors/alfred-hitchcock/rules/alfred-hitchcock.md

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+# Alfred Hitchcock Films Style Guide  
+
+## Table of Contents
+- [Table of Contents](#table-of-contents)
+- [Introduction – The Hitchcock Legacy: Master of Suspense, Visual Poet of Dread, Psychological Thriller Architect, and Cinematic Manipulator](#introduction-the-hitchcock-legacy-master-of-suspense-visual-poet-of-dread-psychological-thriller-architect-and-cinematic-manipulator)
+- [Overall Tone and Thematic DNA – Elegant Dread, Intellectual Intrigue, Moral Ambiguity, Psychological Tension, Human Frailty, Voyeuristic Gaze, and Cinematic Manipulation](#overall-tone-and-thematic-dna-elegant-dread-intellectual-intrigue-moral-ambiguity-psychological-tension-human-frailty-voyeuristic-gaze-and-cinematic-manipulation)
+- [Narrative Architecture – Slow-Burn Suspense Builds, MacGuffin-Driven Plots, Ironic Twists, Wrong-Man Structures](#narrative-architecture-slow-burn-suspense-builds-macguffin-driven-plots-ironic-twists-wrong-man-structures)
+- [Character Construction – Flawed Protagonists, Blonde Heroines, Charming Villains, and Moral Mirrors](#character-construction-flawed-protagonists-blonde-heroines-charming-villains-and-moral-mirrors)
+- [Dialogue Mechanics – Witty, Understated, Ironic, Psychological, and Economical](#dialogue-mechanics-witty-understated-ironic-psychological-and-economical)
+- [Visual Language & Cinematography – Tension Through Frame, Shadow, Zoom, and Composition](#visual-language-cinematography-tension-through-frame-shadow-zoom-and-composition)
+- [Action and Violence – Sudden Shocks, Psychological Impact, Minimalist Brutality](#action-and-violence-sudden-shocks-psychological-impact-minimalist-brutality)
+- [Music and Sound Design – Bernard Herrmann Mastery](#music-and-sound-design-bernard-herrmann-mastery)
+- [Practical Screenwriting Advice – Hitchcock Habits](#practical-screenwriting-advice-hitchcock-habits)
+- [Quick Reference – Hitchcock Checklist (Expanded with Rules & Examples)](#quick-reference-hitchcock-checklist-expanded-with-rules-examples)
+
+## Introduction – The Hitchcock Legacy: Master of Suspense, Visual Poet of Dread, Psychological Thriller Architect, and Cinematic Manipulator
+Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980), universally known as the "Master of Suspense," directed 53 feature films across a 60-year career in Britain and Hollywood, fundamentally shaping the thriller, suspense, mystery, and psychological horror genres. His British period (1920s–1930s) includes early silents (*The Lodger* 1927), breakthrough thrillers (*Blackmail* 1929 – first British sound film), and international successes (*The 39 Steps* 1935, *The Lady Vanishes* 1938). His Hollywood era (1940–1976) produced classics: *Rebecca* (1940 – his only Best Picture Oscar), *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), *Spellbound* (1945), *Notorious* (1946), *Rope* (1948), *Strangers on a Train* (1951), *Dial M for Murder* (1954), *Rear Window* (1954), *To Catch a Thief* (1955), *The Trouble with Harry* (1955), *The Man Who Knew Too Much* (1956), *Vertigo* (1958), *North by Northwest* (1959), *Psycho* (1960), *The Birds* (1963), *Marnie* (1964), *Torn Curtain* (1966), *Topaz* (1969), *Frenzy* (1972), and *Family Plot* (1976). He also created and hosted the anthology series *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955–1965) and *The Alfred Hitchcock Hour* (1962–1965).
+
+Hitchcock’s screenplays—often adapted from novels, plays, or short stories and co-written with screenwriters like Charles Bennett, John Michael Hayes, Ernest Lehman, Samuel Taylor, and his wife Alma Reville (who contributed uncredited script work throughout his career)—are masterclasses in tension-building, visual symbolism, psychological depth, moral ambiguity, ironic twists, and audience manipulation disguised as mainstream entertainment. His style is instantly recognizable: slow-burn suspense through anticipation rather than shock, voyeuristic camera placement, mistaken identity/wrong-man plots, MacGuffin devices, recurring blonde heroine archetypes, ironic humor amid dread, visual storytelling over dialogue, moral grayness without easy resolution, and a tone that blends elegant sophistication with chilling human frailty.
+
+Hitchcock contrasts sharply with Mel Brooks’s affectionate parody and chaotic excess, Monty Python’s absurdist anti-logic, Star Wars’s mythic heroism, Star Trek’s utopian moral inquiry, Key & Peele’s race-conscious social observation, or the operatic grandeur of Coppola. Hitchcock is fundamentally suspenseful, visually poetic, psychologically probing, morally ambiguous, and cinematically manipulative—a tone of elegant dread, intellectual intrigue, and the thrill of the unknown that makes the audience complicit in the story’s tension.
+
+This ultra-expanded guide provides the deepest possible dissection of Hitchcock’s style across his entire filmography (British & Hollywood periods), with hundreds of specific scene, sequence, and shot examples, thematic evolutions from silent era to late career, structural rules with suspense-build and MacGuffin guidelines, visual grammar with camera placement and editing principles, character archetypes with psychological strategies, dialogue mechanics with ironic and understated rules, conflict philosophy with wrong-man and suspense theories, music & sound principles (Bernard Herrmann collaboration), production insights from his obsessive pre-production and storyboarding, ethical storytelling considerations around voyeurism and violence, and practical screenwriting habits drawn from Hitchcock’s own methods (the “bomb under the table” theory, storyboarding every shot, visual-first scripting, audience manipulation techniques).
+
+## Overall Tone and Thematic DNA – Elegant Dread, Intellectual Intrigue, Moral Ambiguity, Psychological Tension, Human Frailty, Voyeuristic Gaze, and Cinematic Manipulation
+- **Elegant Dread with Psychological Tension and Moral Ambiguity**  
+  Hitchcock’s tone is sophisticated, tense, and psychologically immersive: ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary peril, forcing moral choices amid mounting dread. It balances elegance (glamorous stars, stylish settings, witty dialogue) with terror (sudden violence, ironic twists, psychological unraveling).  
+  - *Vertigo* (1958): James Stewart’s acrophobia and obsession with Kim Novak’s Madeleine/Judy—tone of romantic elegance descending into psychological nightmare and tragic guilt.  
+  - *Psycho* (1960): Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane steals $40,000 → arrives at Bates Motel → infamous shower murder → Norman Bates’s cover-up → Lila Crane’s investigation → basement reveal of Mrs. Bates. Tone shifts from mundane crime thriller to shocking horror to psychological revelation.  
+  - *Rear Window* (1954): L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) confined to wheelchair, voyeuristically watches neighbors → suspects murder → tone of confined tension, ethical voyeurism, and moral ambiguity (is he right to spy?).  
+  - *North by Northwest* (1959): Advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) mistaken for spy → crop-duster chase → Mount Rushmore climax. Tone of witty elegance amid life-threatening absurdity.  
+  - *The Birds* (1963): Melanie Daniels’s flirtation with Mitch Brenner → unexplained bird attacks on Bodega Bay → tone of normalcy shattered by inexplicable terror.  
+  - *Strangers on a Train* (1951): Bruno Anthony proposes “criss-cross” murder to Guy Haines → polite conversation turns sinister → tone of charming menace.  
+  - *Rope* (1948): Two students strangle a classmate → host dinner party with body in chest → tone of single-take tension and moral horror.  
+  - *Rebecca* (1940): Young woman marries Maxim de Winter → haunted by dead wife Rebecca → tone of gothic dread and psychological insecurity.  
+  → **Core Principle**: Build tone through slow, visual, psychological tension—dread comes from anticipation (“bomb under the table” theory), not gore. Moral ambiguity leaves audiences unsettled; elegance (costumes, sets, stars) contrasts with human frailty and moral compromise.
+
+- **Thematic Pillars – Suspense, Voyeurism, Mistaken Identity, Moral Ambiguity, Human Frailty, Cinematic Manipulation, and Psychological Depth**  
+  1. Suspense & Tension Building (“Bomb Under the Table” Theory): Audience knows danger, characters don’t—guideline: Show threat early, prolong anticipation.  
+     - *Rear Window*: We see Thorwald’s suspicious behavior before Jeff does.  
+     - *Psycho*: We know Norman is dangerous; Marion doesn’t.  
+  2. Voyeurism & the Gaze: Watching as complicity and moral transgression.  
+     - *Rear Window*: Entire film from Jeff’s apartment view—audience becomes voyeur.  
+     - *Psycho*: Norman watches Marion through peephole.  
+     - *Vertigo*: Scotty obsessively watches Madeleine.  
+  3. Mistaken Identity & Wrong-Man Plot: Innocent accused, identity crisis.  
+     - *North by Northwest*: Thornhill mistaken for George Kaplan.  
+     - *The Wrong Man* (1957): Based on true story—innocent man arrested.  
+     - *The 39 Steps*: Richard Hannay wrongly accused.  
+  4. Moral Ambiguity & Guilt: Characters face ethical gray areas.  
+     - *Strangers on a Train*: Guy tempted by Bruno’s plan.  
+     - *Vertigo*: Scotty’s obsession and manipulation of Judy.  
+     - *Marnie* (1964): Kleptomaniac’s trauma and moral compromise.  
+  5. Human Frailty & Psychological Depth: Flawed protagonists driven by obsession, fear, guilt.  
+     - *Psycho*: Norman Bates’s split personality and mother fixation.  
+     - *Marnie*: Kleptomania rooted in childhood trauma.  
+     - *Vertigo*: Scotty’s acrophobia and obsessive love.  
+  6. MacGuffin & Plot Device: Object drives plot but is irrelevant to deeper themes.  
+     - Microfilm in *North by Northwest*.  
+     - Uranium in *Notorious*.  
+     - Money in *Psycho*.  
+  7. Blonde Heroine Archetype: Beautiful, cool, vulnerable women who attract danger.  
+     - Madeleine/Judy (*Vertigo*), Marion Crane (*Psycho*), Grace Kelly in *To Catch a Thief*, *Rear Window*, *Dial M for Murder*.  
+  8. Ironic Humor Amid Dread: Witty dialogue, dark comedy in tense moments.  
+     - *The Trouble with Harry* – corpse comedy.  
+     - *North by Northwest* – Cary Grant’s dry wit amid chases.  
+  → **Integration Rule**: Center 3–5 pillars per film—classic Hitchcock formula: suspense + voyeurism + mistaken identity + moral ambiguity. Use visual metaphors (stairs, shadows, birds, reflections, keys, handcuffs) to unify themes.
+
+- **Tone Spectrum & Modulation Guidelines**  
+  Everyday normalcy / witty elegance → rising psychological tension / voyeuristic unease → moral crisis / ironic twist → violent or tragic climax → ambiguous resolution or chilling coda. Humor is dry, ironic, black; tragedy is psychological and intimate.  
+  - Modulation Rule: Shift tones through visual cues (dolly zooms, shadows, point-of-view shots), sound (Bernard Herrmann scores), and editing (slow builds to sudden shocks). Maintain underlying dread—suspense is in anticipation, not explosion.
+
+## Narrative Architecture – Slow-Burn Suspense Builds, MacGuffin-Driven Plots, Ironic Twists, Wrong-Man Structures
+- **Slow-Burn Tension Structure**  
+  - Setup: Introduce normalcy & MacGuffin / mistaken identity.  
+  - Build: Rising suspicion, voyeurism, psychological pressure.  
+  - Crisis: Moral dilemma or confrontation.  
+  - Climax: Violent revelation or ironic twist.  
+  - Resolution: Ambiguous close or ironic coda.  
+  Examples:  
+  - *Psycho*: Marion’s theft (MacGuffin money) → hotel arrival → shower murder (climax) → Lila’s investigation → basement reveal (Norman’s mother).  
+  - *Vertigo*: Scotty’s acrophobia (flaw) → Madeleine obsession → faked death → Judy transformation → tower climax.  
+  - *Rear Window*: Jeff’s boredom → voyeurism → suspected murder → confrontation with Thorwald.  
+  → **Guideline**: Use MacGuffin to drive plot—focus on psychological impact and audience suspense.
+
+- **Pacing: Deliberate Build with Sudden Shocks**  
+  - Slow, visual tension punctuated by violence or revelation.  
+  - Examples: Shower scene in *Psycho* — build through mundane routine → rapid cuts.  
+  - Crop-duster sequence in *North by Northwest* — long, slow build → sudden attack.  
+  → **Guideline**: Let suspense breathe—long takes, shadows, music; sudden cuts or shocks for release.
+
+## Character Construction – Flawed Protagonists, Blonde Heroines, Charming Villains, and Moral Mirrors
+- **Flawed Protagonist / Wrong Man**  
+  - Ordinary man in extraordinary peril, often with personal flaw.  
+  - Roger Thornhill (*North by Northwest*): Ad man mistaken for spy—charming, witty, flawed by arrogance.  
+  - L.B. Jeffries (*Rear Window*): Photographer confined to wheelchair—flaw: voyeurism.  
+  - Scotty Ferguson (*Vertigo*): Detective with acrophobia—flaw: obsession.  
+  → **Guideline**: Protagonist grows (or falls) through moral choices; flaw drives suspense.
+
+- **Blonde Heroine Archetype**  
+  - Cool, beautiful, vulnerable, often in danger.  
+  - Madeleine/Judy (*Vertigo*), Marion Crane (*Psycho*), Grace Kelly (*Rear Window*, *To Catch a Thief*, *Dial M for Murder*).  
+  → **Rule**: Heroine embodies mystery, desire, and danger—often central to protagonist’s obsession.
+
+- **Charming / Psychopathic Villain**  
+  - Bruno Anthony (*Strangers on a Train*): Sociopathic charm, tennis obsession.  
+  - Norman Bates (*Psycho*): Polite, shy, deadly.  
+  → **Guideline**: Villains are intelligent, manipulative, often charming—contrast with protagonist’s morality.
+
+## Dialogue Mechanics – Witty, Understated, Ironic, Psychological, and Economical
+- **Witty & Ironic Exchanges**  
+  - “We all go a little mad sometimes.” — Norman Bates (*Psycho*).  
+  - “I always say a kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.” — John Robie (*To Catch a Thief*).  
+  → **Guideline**: Use irony to underscore tension; witty dialogue contrasts with dread.
+
+- **Psychological Revelation & Subtext**  
+  - Scotty’s obsessive monologues in *Vertigo*.  
+  - Bruno’s “criss-cross” proposal in *Strangers on a Train*.  
+  → **Rule**: Dialogue reveals inner turmoil subtly—subtext over exposition.
+
+## Visual Language & Cinematography – Tension Through Frame, Shadow, Zoom, and Composition
+- **Dolly Zoom / Vertigo Effect**  
+  - Zoom in while dollying out—distorts space, creates disorientation.  
+  - *Vertigo* tower scene (Scotty’s acrophobia).  
+  → **Guideline**: Use for psychological disorientation or vertigo.
+
+- **Voyeuristic Camera & Long Takes**  
+  - *Rear Window*: Entire film from Jeff’s apartment view—audience becomes voyeur.  
+  - *Rope*: Single-take illusion (hidden body in chest).  
+  → **Rule**: Camera as character—observing, intruding, manipulating audience gaze.
+
+- **Lighting, Shadow, and Composition Principles**  
+  - High-contrast shadows, chiaroscuro (*Psycho* house), expressionistic angles (*Vertigo* tower).  
+  → **Guideline**: Use lighting symbolically—shadows for guilt, light for revelation.
+
+## Action and Violence – Sudden Shocks, Psychological Impact, Minimalist Brutality
+- **Sudden, Iconic Violence**  
+  - *Psycho* shower stabbing — rapid cuts, screeching score.  
+  - *The Birds* — slow-burn buildup to avian attacks.  
+  → **Guideline**: Violence is quick, shocking, psychologically devastating—focus on aftermath.
+
+## Music and Sound Design – Bernard Herrmann Mastery
+- **Herrmann Scores**  
+  - *Psycho* screeching strings, *Vertigo* swirling themes, *North by Northwest* urgent rhythms.  
+  → **Rule**: Use music to build dread, irony, or emotional release.
+
+## Practical Screenwriting Advice – Hitchcock Habits
+- Use MacGuffin to drive plot but focus on psychological impact.  
+- Storyboard every shot—pre-visualize tension.  
+- Build suspense visually (camera placement, editing).  
+- Write witty, understated dialogue.  
+- Guideline: “Bomb under the table” — show danger early, prolong anticipation.  
+- Rule: Never let audience feel safe—suspense is in knowing more than characters.
+
+## Quick Reference – Hitchcock Checklist (Expanded with Rules & Examples)
+- [ ] Slow-burn suspense through anticipation (Rule: “Bomb under the table”)  
+- [ ] Voyeurism & audience complicity (Example: *Rear Window* gaze)  
+- [ ] Mistaken identity / wrong-man plot (Example: *North by Northwest*)  
+- [ ] Moral ambiguity & guilt (Guideline: No easy heroes)  
+- [ ] Human frailty & psychological depth (Example: Scotty’s obsession)  
+- [ ] MacGuffin plot device (Rule: Irrelevant to deeper themes)  
+- [ ] Blonde heroine archetype (Example: Grace Kelly roles)  
+- [ ] Ironic humor amid dread (Example: *North by Northwest* wit)  
+- [ ] Visual mastery (dolly zoom, shadows, long takes)  
+- [ ] Bernard Herrmann score for tension (Rule: Music as character)  
+- [ ] Sudden shocks & iconic violence (Example: *Psycho* shower)  
+
+Write Hitchcock thrillers with visual mastery and psychological precision: build tension through anticipation, expose human frailty through irony, manipulate the audience with elegant dread, and create tales that haunt, thrill, and unsettle long after the lights come up.

package/augment-extensions/writing-standards/screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors/ari-aster/module.json

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+{
+  "name": "cinematic-styles-directors-ari-aster",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "displayName": "Ari Aster Style Guide",
+  "description": "Screenplay style guide for Ari Aster",
+  "type": "writing-standards",
+  "category": "screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors",
+  "tags": [
+    "screenplay",
+    "cinematic-style",
+    "director",
+    "auteur",
+    "ari-aster"
+  ],
+  "dependencies": {
+    "required": [],
+    "optional": [
+      "writing-standards/screenplay"
+    ]
+  },
+  "augment": {
+    "characterCount": 5000,
+    "priority": "medium",
+    "category": "cinematic-styles",
+    "appliesTo": {
+      "filePatterns": [
+        "**/*.fountain",
+        "**/*.screenplay",
+        "**/screenplay/**/*.md",
+        "**/screenplays/**/*"
+      ],
+      "languages": [
+        "fountain",
+        "markdown"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "installation": {
+    "required": false,
+    "steps": [
+      "Link module: augx link writing-standards/screenplay/cinematic-styles/directors/ari-aster",
+      "Configure active style in .augment/screenplay-config.json"
+    ]
+  },
+  "contents": {
+    "rules": [
+      "ari-aster.md"
+    ]
+  }
+}