Block Grammar & Orthogonality

The Auteur Script structures scene parameters into modular, functional containers called Macro-Blocks, bridging classical filmmaking pre-production with deterministic scene execution.

Production Phase Parent Pillar Directorial Scope Representative Blocks (\(B \in \mathcal{B}\))
Phase 1: STAGING
(Pre-production setup before shooting)		 1. INTENT Creative vision, stakes, theme, and reasoning-layer physical guardrails [INTENT], [GOAL], [LOGIC], [CONTINUITY PROTOCOL], [CHARACTERS]
2. AESTHETIC Audio-visual world, lookbook, and initial frame anchor (\(S_0\)) [AESTHETIC], [OPENING], [REFERENCE], [STAGE]
Phase 2: EXECUTION
(Active camera rolling)		 3. EXECUTION Beat-by-beat dynamic state progression (\(S_1 \mapsto \dots \mapsto S_n\)) [EXECUTION], [TIMELINE], [SHOTLIST]

1. Block Syntax & Formatting Rules

  • Block Header: A bracketed uppercase label on its own line (e.g., [INTENT], [LOGIC], [AESTHETIC], [OPENING], [EXECUTION]).
  • Block Content: Begins immediately on the line following the header. Can span single or multiple lines depending on the block specification.
  • Separation: Blocks must be separated by exactly one empty line.
  • Disambiguation (Blocks vs. Tags):
    • Macro-Blocks: Standalone section headers defining document structure ([INTENT], [LOGIC], [AESTHETIC], [OPENING], [EXECUTION]).
    • Sub-State Tags: Inline bracketed category tokens chained inside [EXECUTION] lines ([CAM], [ACT], [AUDIO], [BLOCK] for spatial staging, [LIGHT], [PROP]).

2. The 3 Pillars & The Two Production Phases

Every block in an Auteur Script belongs to one of the 3 Core Pillars and operates within one of two production phases:

Phase 1: STAGING Blocks (Pre-Production Setup)

“Before shooting, we setup the stage first.” These blocks mirror classical pre-production (Vision \(\to\) World Rules \(\to\) Sensory Lookbook \(\to\) First Frame Canvas \(S_0\)), establishing all static context, physical rules, lookbooks, and initial geometry before motion begins: 1. INTENT Pillar: - [INTENT] (or alias [GOAL]) — High-level creative vision, thematic stakes, and narrative objective. - [LOGIC] — Reasoning-layer guardrails and gap-filling logic (spatial physics, permanence rules, and boundary constraints that guide the model’s visual planning and prime downstream token prediction for brief execution beats). - [CONTINUITY PROTOCOL] (Optional) — Multi-clip boundary inheritance rules, @video1 ground truth locks, and transition vectors. - [CHARACTERS] (Optional) — Explicit multimodal actor bindings and unused reference exclusion. 2. AESTHETIC Pillar: - [AESTHETIC] — Structured label: value lookbook (palette, lighting, acoustics, wardrobe, props). - [OPENING] — The composed first-frame still anchor (\(S_0\)), freezing the spatial starting geometry before kinetic motion begins. - [REFERENCE] / [STAGE] (Optional) — Static asset mappings, environment blueprints, or spatial diagrams.

Phase 2: EXECUTION Blocks (Kinetic Timeline / Rolling Camera)

“Calling Action!” These blocks contain the dynamic state-transition pipeline: 1. EXECUTION Pillar: - [EXECUTION] — The active temporal state-transition timeline (\(S_1 \mapsto S_2 \mapsto \dots \mapsto S_n\)). - Custom execution variants (e.g., [TIMELINE], [SHOTLIST], [BEATS]).

3. The Open Block Principle (\(B \in \mathcal{B}\))

The 5-Block scaffold ([INTENT], [LOGIC], [AESTHETIC], [OPENING], [EXECUTION]) is the default baseline, not a rigid cage. Creators may declare custom or domain-specific Macro-Blocks (\(B \in \mathcal{B}\)) to match specific production pipelines:

  • Custom Intent Blocks (e.g., [CONTINUITY PROTOCOL], [MISSION], [SAFETY GUARDRAILS]): Place in Phase 1 under INTENT (adjacent to or replacing [LOGIC]).
  • Custom Aesthetic Blocks (e.g., [REFERENCE], [STAGE], [COLOR MOOD]): Place in Phase 1 under AESTHETIC before [OPENING].
  • Custom Execution Protocols (e.g., [TIMELINE], [SHOTLIST], [MOTION GRAPHICS]): Place in Phase 2 representing or replacing [EXECUTION].

4. The Block Extension Principle (Orthogonality)

Each block extends the context established in preceding blocks without redundant duplication or silent contradiction:

  1. [INTENT] (Global identity, format, tone)
    \(\quad\downarrow\)
  2. [LOGIC] (Reasoning-layer guardrails & spatial physics)
    \(\quad\downarrow\)
  3. [AESTHETIC] (Sensory lookbook: palette, lighting, wardrobe, acoustics)
    \(\quad\downarrow\)
  4. [OPENING] (The composed first-frame still anchor \(S_0\))
    \(\quad\downarrow\)
  5. [EXECUTION] (Temporal state-transition pipeline: \(S_1 \mapsto S_2 \mapsto \dots \mapsto S_n\))
  • Forward Inheritance: Information established in earlier blocks (e.g., wardrobe in [AESTHETIC]) is automatically active throughout the scene.
  • Non-Redundancy: Never restate static parameters across blocks:
    • If lighting and wardrobe are locked in [AESTHETIC], [OPENING] only references composition/blocking anchors.
    • [EXECUTION] only commands state transformations, relying on [AESTHETIC] for static world-building.
  • Non-Contradiction: A block never silently overrides an earlier block unless explicitly declaring a story-driven transformation.

5. Dedicated Block Specifications Directory

For the comprehensive, audit-ready specification of each individual baseline block, refer to the dedicated documents in macroblocks/:

  • intent.md — Specifications for [INTENT] / [GOAL].
  • logic.md — Specifications for [LOGIC] guardrails.
  • aesthetic.md — Specifications for [AESTHETIC] lookbook and label: value syntax.
  • opening.md — Specifications for [OPENING] first-frame anchor (\(S_0\)).
  • execution.md — Specifications for [EXECUTION] state-transition timeline.

6. Optional & Custom Block Registry

The following blocks extend the standard 5-block scaffold under the Open Block Principle (\(B \in \mathcal{B}\)). Each optional block maps to its parent Pillar and production phase, with its full specification defined in the corresponding production module.

Phase 1: STAGING — INTENT Pillar

Block Specification Source Activation Trigger
[CHARACTERS] character_reference.md (§4, Dedicated Block Approach) “Use character reference mapping”, “Bind actor references”
[CONTINUITY PROTOCOL] video_continuation.md (§3.2) “Extend video”, “Continue from video reference”

Phase 1: STAGING — AESTHETIC Pillar

Block Specification Source Notes
[REFERENCE] (Custom declaration — see Open Block Principle, §3) Static asset mappings, environment blueprints, or spatial diagrams. Place before [OPENING].
[STAGE] (Custom declaration — see Open Block Principle, §3) Alternative staging container for complex multi-set configurations. Place before [OPENING].

Phase 2: EXECUTION — Custom Execution Protocols

Block Specification Source Notes
[TIMELINE] (Custom declaration — see Open Block Principle, §3) Alternative temporal container replacing or augmenting [EXECUTION].
[SHOTLIST] (Custom declaration — see Open Block Principle, §3) Shot-numbered execution format for traditional production pipelines.
[BEATS] (Custom declaration — see Open Block Principle, §3) Beat-sheet style timeline for storyboarding workflows.

Registry Maintenance: When adding a new custom Macro-Block, register it in this table with its parent Pillar, specification source, and activation trigger (if driven by an extension).

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