Treatments, in these contemporary times, are also formatted as a sales pitch, beyond just the telling of the story. The eventual screenplay will have the stylistic delivery of the story pitched within the treatment, complete with character dialogue, scene description, creative editing and visualization delivery, etc.
FILM SCRIPT TREATMENT EXAMPLE MOVIE
Where a synopsis would generally cover the broad strokes of the story within three paragraphs and one page, treatments cover every detail of story and character so that those reading it will be able to get an idea of what movie they are considering to make.
These documents vary in length - depending upon the needs and wants of studio executives, producers, agents, and managers - and cover the more specifics of the story, utilizing prose in the forms of descriptive paragraphs that tell the story from beginning to end with all of the plot points, twists, turns, revelations, and character descriptions, but void of any dialogue (exceptions are sometimes made on that front). Treatments are meant to be read by others outside of the creative process as a means to convince the powers that be to either consider a screenplay in question for acquisition and production or to help them understand the vision that the screenwriter has for a possible writing assignment. Some managers want more input than others, but their collaboration is sometimes key because they know what their Hollywood contacts respond to or not.Īnd yes, writers writing on spec without any representation can use outlines for the same purpose of organizing one's thoughts and visuals.ĭeveloping a new project idea? Use our helpful eBooks to guide you every step of the way Treatments Manager input is usually given when the screenwriter is writing a script on spec (writing something before it's been optioned or sold).
If directors are already attached, they'll likely want to have their say as well. Others will want to have input into where certain scenes, sequences, and story beats are present within the eventual first draft. Some producers will let you have your first draft and then work with you on the second once that first is handed in. This, of course, will change project-to-project.
FILM SCRIPT TREATMENT EXAMPLE PROFESSIONAL
As a professional screenwriter under assignment, producers and directors will especially have some creative input into how the script's story is constructed. This tool is especially essential when you're working with writing partners, or producers, directors, and managers that may be part of the development process. So if you find within that outline that certain scenes are redundant, repetitive, or unnecessary, you save the time of having to move, adjust, or delete those written scenes after you've already taken the time to write them. Using this overview, you can make creative and editorial choices before you take the time to write those scenes and moments in their cinematic entirety. This writing tool allows the writer to get an overview of the story beats and moments before applying them into the screenplay format of locations, scene description, and dialogue. The outline allows the writer to construct a general list of sequential scenes and moments in the order that they will be written within a screenplay. Outlines vary in size, shape, and form - depending upon the writer, as well as the needs of the possible producers, directors, and managers that they are working with during the developmental phase leading up to the actual writing of the script. They essentially act as early development blueprints for how the writer and their collaborators plan to assemble the scenes within a screenplay.
However, they are more and more requested by production companies and networks (Hallmark, Lifetime) as well, where they read more like beat sheats. They're meant to be read only by the writer - along with their writing collaborators, which can include writing partners, producers, directors, and even managers - as a means to collect visualization concepts that pertain to scenes, plot points, and story arcs. Outlines are often used by the screenwriter during their own development and writing process. But they're often used for very different reasons. Screenplay outlines and treatments are the most common development tools used in Hollywood and beyond today. Let's start with the big two - outlines and treatments. The Difference Between Outlines and Treatments Let's shine a little light on what these things are. The very mention of them can be intimidating. Most screenwriters have likely heard these terms - outlines, treatments, and scriptments - but many don't really know what they truly are, why they exist, and how they are supposed to be written and utilized.