A film treatment is a document, written in prose, which provides an outline or overview of your story. In essence it’s a detailed synopsis, with action and sparse dialogue. It serves as a roadmap for the reader. Importantly, it’s written in present tense and describes events as they happen.
What should be included in a film treatment?
It should communicate all of the essential scenes, themes, and tone of the project to entice or pitch to buyers and producers into reading, developing, or even purchasing your idea. Film treatments are also referred to as story treatments, script treatments, and movie treatments.
Do you need a treatment for your short film?
However, as an independent filmmaker, you should have your hands on the wheel the entire time and make building a treatment part of your creative process. Sometimes just drafting a treatment for an idea you have can lead to it coming to fruition. My recent short film started out as a treatment.
What is the writing process for a film treatment?
The writing process for a film treatment is as simple as taking each heading and expanding on it. You’ll have a treatment in no time at all. Once you’ve got a first draft of your script treatment together, it’s time to show it to some people.
What are your favourite film treatment examples?
Our favourite film treatment examples 1 The Circle, TV show, by John August 2 Spider-Man, film (not made), by James Cameron 3 Terminator, film, by James Cameron More ...
How many pages should a film treatment be?
between five and ten pagesA film treatment should be fall between five and ten pages, twenty max. There are extreme examples where people argue they can be 60 to 70 pages (James Cameron is notorious for long-winded treatments), but as a rule of thumb, less is more. In fact, some executives and producers ask for a one-pager.
What is a treatment in the film industry?
A treatment is a short document that presents an idea for a film in a clear, concise, dramatic and persuasive way. It's designed to grab the attention and excite the interest of a producer, commissioner, director or other collaborator, and to 'sell' the idea and it's creative and commercial potential.
How do you write a stage play treatment?
Treatments should read like a short story and be written in the third person, present tense. It should present the entire story including the ending. Do not write in screenplay form unless necessary to present key scenes and dialogue from the screenplay it is based on.
How do you write a treatment for a video?
1:164:38You want the artist in the the person that you're pitching to to get a visual. Idea of the idea youMoreYou want the artist in the the person that you're pitching to to get a visual. Idea of the idea you have for their video. So you want it to be very picture and visual heavy to get your ideas across.
What is a visual treatment in film?
A treatment is a common device used to pitch a director's idea. Synopsis, outline and summary are all often used interchangeably with the term treatment throughout production for both film and TV. Ultimately, a great director treatment can convey the director's vision to not only the client, but the crew involved.
How do you write a show treatment?
1:536:31This way you can build a backstory with strong conflict. And drive while teasing a larger arc thatMoreThis way you can build a backstory with strong conflict. And drive while teasing a larger arc that drives the show's future laying the groundwork for entire series of pilot is something that every
What is a video treatment template?
What exactly is a video treatment? The main purpose of a treatment is to convey your project's concept and story in a concise way. It's a key building block of video production that could make or break a project. The tricky thing is that there are no hard and fast rules on format and length.
What is the difference between a synopsis and a treatment?
Treatments Are Longer Than Synopses Remember, a synopsis is a short but succinct description of your plot, main characters, and fictional world. It tells the whole story from beginning to end but in a breezy, brief, easy-to-read sort of way. Treatments give you more room to write, so they're naturally longer.
How do you write a one page film treatment?
You need to have one-inch margins, and no less than 12-point font. While you should use Courier font in your screenplay, Times New Roman should be OK here. The paragraphs can be single-spaced, but there should be an extra line of space between them.
What is a treatment plan?
Listen to pronunciation. (TREET-ment plan) A detailed plan with information about a patient's disease, the goal of treatment, the treatment options for the disease and possible side effects, and the expected length of treatment.
How are characters introduced in a film treatment?
Often, screenwriters will begin with the character description before the formal introduction, and this can be done either with dialogue from a previous scene, or through action in the lines running up to the intro. An urbane man in his late 30's enters the room.
What is a creative treatment?
A creative treatment is a pre-production document that summarizes a video's concept and defines the creative slant of the final product. Often included in a treatment are the program's overview and objectives, the creative concept, technical approach, potential contributors and project timeline.
What are the elements of a film treatment?
Be sure to include these parts in your treatment: Title: The confirmed or working title. Format and Genre: The film type and category. Logline: A one- or two-sentence summary. Plot Summary: A rundown of your story.
What is a film treatment?
Film Treatment: Everything You Need To Know. A film treatment is a written document that describes the story that your screenplay will tell. Most film treatments follow a narrative format and include key information about the characters and the plot while guiding the reader through the story arc and the acts of the film.
What is a scriptment in a movie?
A scriptment is a combination of a film treatment and a screenplay. It uses the main elements of a film treatment to tell the story, and it also includes select screenplay components like scene headings and dialog. Although a scriptment has more detail than a film treatment, it’s much shorter than a screenplay.
What is the difference between a spec script and a film treatment?
A film treatment summarizes the concept and the main elements of the screenplay. A spec script tends to be much longer and more detailed than a film treatment . A spec script is generally in screenplay format rather ...
How to convey emotion in a movie?
Convey emotion: Include major moments of fear, surprise, happiness, and other emotions and convey the emotional arc of the story. Start with the first and end with the last: All scenes from your screenplay won’t make it into the film treatment, but it should include the first and last scenes.
What is an outline in a screenplay?
Yet the two documents serve different purposes. An outline is an organizational tool that allows screenwriters to put scenes in order. An outline can also help you identify any plot holes or redundant scenes.
How to make a movie a movie?
1. Decide on a Title. Begin your film treatment by stating the title of the screenplay. Your title can refer to the setting or the characters or it can be more abstract. Either way, make sure your screenplay has an original title that doesn’t copy the name of an existing movie. 2.
What is script treatment?
Wrapping up script treatments. A treatment is a great way to organize your thoughts about a project. While they may not be the most commercially viable things, they’re great ways to get on a development executive’s good sides and to see if your idea is worthwhile in the marketplace.
What does treatment give a writer?
A treatment gives them some bit of hope, a scrap of paper to put into their file, something tangible to hold onto. And I suppose treatments do offer some small insurance, to all involved -- if the writer is way, way off, it's probably better to know that sooner than later.
What is a synopsis in a screenplay?
It is a synopsis, with action, sparse dialogue, and works as a roadmap for the reader, producer, and writer. This is your story, broken down into an easy-to-follow document, that anyone who picks it up can grasp immediately.
Why is film treatment important?
One of the main functions of a film treatment for a writer is to help identify major problems in their story. Because a movie treatment should be concise yet cover the entirety of a story , it is great at revealing major flaws in a narrative.
What are the elements of a treatment?
What are the key elements of a treatment? 1 Title 2 Name and contact information 3 Logline 4 Key characters 5 Summary of the story 6 Conveys themes and tone
What is an episodic format?
The episodic format of television entails numerous ideas being pitched and thrown around. Rather than writing full episodes, treatments allow writers to summarize and pitch episode ideas especially in the writers room. Knowing how to write a treatment for television is an essential skill for any television writer.
What is the prewriting phase of a screenplay?
The pre-writing phase of a screenplay is essential to many writers and a fundamental device used is the film treatment. A treatment is utilized for various reasons and can be a key component to developing the seeds of an idea.
Why do we write treatment?
Reasons to write a film treatment. As a writer, there are various reasons why you might want to write a film treatment. The first reason would be to create a detailed summary of a film or television show that serves as a shareable plan for the screenwriter’s unwritten screenplay. This is great to gauge the interest in an idea before dedicating time ...
Why is it important to write a treatment?
Writing a treatment is a great way to get your ideas and story down on paper and have something physical to present. It is also effective at gauging your interest in the story and whether or not it has the potential to become a full screenplay.
Can you skip a movie treatment?
If you do fall under the category of writers who choose to skip writing a film treatment, be open to the idea of writing one if you hit any roadblocks when writing your full script. Like Dr. Ken Atchity says, movie treatments can be more than just a marketing and pitching device. They can also serve as a diagnostic tool for your story.
What does treatment mean in a movie?
A treatment gives you a glimpse of what your film could look like as a whole. It means producers and directors can get to grips a lot faster with your film than having to read a 90-120 page script.
How many pages are in a treatment?
Importantly, it’s written in present tense and describes events as they happen. A treatment has no set length but on average a detailed one is around 20 pages .
Why do we need a treatment?
Why do you need a Treatment? As a writer it’s a good idea to give your ideas a dry run. A treatment provides the opportunity to do this. A lot of film treatments might not get seen by anyone other than the writer, but they’re a good way to actually look at your story on paper before you cement it into a screenplay.
Is a treatment a literary document?
So many writers see a treatment as just a document but it is a literary document. It should be enjoyable to read and you should be able to see the movie play out as it will do on the screen. If you can make someone enjoy reading a treatment, it will make them want to read more. 3.
Can a screenplay be written like a TV show?
Not all screenplays are written like this. If you’re writing a TV show, particularly if it includes an outline of a series, a treatment will not look like this. However, a lot of the structural ideas you can adapt to fit the needs of your screenplay.
Is there a way to go about writing treatments?
There isn’t one surefire way to go about writing treatments that is recognised as standard. This allows the writer to be creative in how they approach their film treatment. Whatever your outlook, the best treatments tend to have a strong structure.
What is treatment in filmmaking?
A treatment is a narrative screenwriting tool that helps you explore ideas, flesh out various story possibilities, and develop your characters. Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking. Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking. In her first-ever online class, Jodie Foster teaches you how to bring stories from page to screen with emotion and confidence.
How can treatment help you find your film?
Treatments can help you find your film’s story, while simultaneously helping to raise money. The research for both treatment and film involves gathering the same facts, talking to the same individuals, and shaping the same story. By figuring out how to communicate your passion, knowledge, and vision on the page, ...
How to write a treatment for a movie?
A script treatment comes earlier in the writing process, before any actual scriptwriting, which allows you to sort out the necessary story elements you need. The point of writing a film treatment is to: 1 Set up the world you want the reader to envision. 2 Lay out the structure o
Why are treatment scripts and spec scripts confused?
A treatment and a spec script are sometimes confused because both serve to help writers hash out screenplay ideas and potentially sell a film or TV show. A treatment comes earlier on in the development process and provides a detailed summarization of the characters and events that will unfold throughout the film.
What is a treatment in a story?
Treatments contain detailed descriptions of the setting, theme, character roles, and plot in order to show how the story will play out for the audience. There are four main things a treatment should contain:
What is a script treatment?
A script treatment comes earlier in the writing process, before any actual scriptwriting, which allows you to sort out the necessary story elements you need. The point of writing a film treatment is to: Set up the world you want the reader to envision. Lay out the structure of your whole story. Help you identify plot holes, or parts ...
Who is the best actress to have a masterclass on filmmaking?
No one knows this better than Jodie Foster . In Jodie Foster ’s MasterClass on filmmaking, the two-time Oscar-winner talks about her experience on both sides of the camera and reveals insights into every step of the filmmaking process, from storyboarding to casting and camera coverage.
What is a film treatment?
A film treatment (or film script treatment) is a multi-page, detailed synopsis of your film or visual project. It contains all the key elements of your film, like important scenes, main characters, and crucial plot points. And it’s written in prose, not as a script.
Why is script treatment important?
They’re a vital part of the development process, helping you to stress-test your story idea before writing a draft screenplay. Another benefit of writing a script treatment is that it helps you to pin down the tone of your movie or TV show.
Outlines
Since outlines are often written solely by the screenwriter during their own development and writing process, they vary in size, shape, and form — depending upon the writer, as well as the needs of the possible producers, directors, and managers that they may be working with during the developmental phase leading up to the actual writing of the script..
Treatments
Treatments vary in length and cover the more specifics of the story, utilizing prose in the form 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 much dialogue.
21 Outlines, Treatments, and Scriptments That Screenwriters Can Study
Since outlines, treatments, and scriptments represent the pre-writing stage of the screenwriting process, you don't often find many online examples.
1. Avatar (Scriptment)
Written by James Cameron (The Terminator, Aliens, True Lies, The Titanic, Avatar)
2. Batman: Year One (Treatment)
Written by Larry & Andy Wachowski (now known as Lana and Lilly Wachowski). They are best known as the auteur sibling writing and directing duo behind Bound and the Matrix Trilogy.
4. Big Fish (Sequence Outline)
Written by John August (Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin)
5. Big Fish (Post-First Draft Outline)
Written by John August (Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin)
4. Placement and design
The last thing you want to do after spending all that time finding the right images, and writing the best copy, is hastily throw everything together and call it done.
Craft your treatments as a creative first step
Treatments can be the first great step to developing your project, yes. But I would say they can be an even more impactful first step as a storyteller, writer, and filmmaker. Treatments give you the opportunity to explore your creative vision before anyone knows about it; you can refine and craft an idea just to see where it takes you.
Benefits of Writing Treatments in Marketing Your Screenplay
We’ve now looked at the benefits of how treatments help you in the craft of screenwriting, and there’s another set of benefits of writing treatments for your movie scripts as it relates to marketing. Let’s take a look at those.
Planning for Success in Screenwriting: Goals (Part 1 of 2)
Lots of Screenwriters say they’ve done everything they know to do and are still not achieving the goals they want, still not getting their scripts read. This two-part article series is meant to help you set your goals and then break them down so you have actions to take on a daily basis. Whether your
5 Screenwriter Success Tips For Networking Events
Most screenwriters know that networking and getting to know producers, agents and managers – or have them know you and read your work – is critical to a successful screenwriting career. You’ve heard how you should attend networking events, and you know you need to take the plunge yourself. So you pay your money to
What Every Screenwriter Should Know About Branding
Thousands of screenplays and ideas get submitted to Hollywood every month so it becomes a big challenge to get your screenplay read and to have it seem different from so many others. Screenwriters often think their script is completely unique, but usually it’s not as different as you might think.
The Truth About Networking
You’ve probably heard that you need to schmooze in Hollywood. Sometimes hearing this makes screenwriters shudder because they would rather be alone writing than be fake, manipulative, and a put-on when schmoozing. But this is the wrong understanding of schmoozing. The fact is that schmoozing can very simply be…
Understand The Script Film Treatment
The 6 Elements of A Film Treatment
- The most effective film treatments include six essential components. Be sure to include these parts in your treatment: 1. Title:The confirmed or working title 2. Format and Genre:The film type and category 3. Logline:A one- or two-sentence summary 4. Plot Summary:A rundown of your story 5. Main Characters:An introduction to the protagonists and the...
How to Write A Film Treatment
- From deciding on a title to tying the narrative together, follow the steps below to produce an effective treatment.
Film Treatment Examples
- Reviewing treatments, scriptments, and outlines for successful movies can help you understand how to make yours as effective as possible. Get inspiration from these well-known film treatment examples. “Avatar” Scriptment Scene from “Avatar“ “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” Outline Scene from “Battle for the Planet of the Apes“ “Big Fish” Outline Scene from “Big Fish“ “Godzilla” …
What Are Film Treatments?
Why Do You Need A Treatment?
- As a writer it’s a good idea to give your ideas a dry run. A treatment provides the opportunity to do this. A lot of film treatments might not get seen by anyone other than the writer, but they’re a good way to actually look at your story on paper before you cement it into a screenplay. You can see the shape and structure of the story and whether tonally all the beats fit together. A treatment gives …
Read Some Film Treatments!
- They say if you’re going to copy, copy from the best. Now, obviously, do not go about pinching people’s ideas, but there’s no harm in reading some famous film treatments. By doing this you’ll see how professionals write and structure their work. The more you read, the more patterns you’ll start to pick up, developing your understanding of how treatments are written. Think of your favo…
Structuring Film Treatments
- There isn’t one surefire way to go about writing treatments that is recognised as standard. This allows the writer to be creative in how they approach their film treatment. Whatever your outlook, the best treatments tend to have a strong structure. This is because they should reflect the strong structure of the screenplay, showing you’ve thought out how your idea will translate into script a…
How to Make Your Film Treatments Engaging
- So you’re finally here. You think you understand how a film treatment should look. Below are some ideas on how to make your treatment an engaging read for producers, directors or anyone in the development process. If you can make your treatment engaging, you can potentially sell someone on your story. So what are some Do’s and Don’ts of writing film treatments?
Film Treatment Dos
- 1. Keep it simple
A script is always better if everyone involved in making it can understand it. You will be writing this to (hopefully) be shown to various important key creatives, and they need to get it. 1. What makes sense in your head doesn’t necessarily make sense when written out, especially if you go about … - 2. Hit the big emotions
In line with keeping your writing simple, make sure you are exploring the maximum emotional range of your story. In the treatment, make the highs incredibly high and the lows crushingly devastating. It’s so much easier to tone something back than to add more emotion into somethi…
Film Treatment Don’ts
- 1. Cast and don’t get too specific
There’s a tendency for writers to write parts for specific actors. Unless you have that actor actually on-board for the project, do not do this. You don’t know if you can get Leonardo DiCaprio, he’s a busy man. If your whole character relies on Leo’s abilities (or someone like him) and they … - 2. Ruin a twist
You want the reader to experience the movie on the page. Therefore, if your movie has a twist in it, your reader should discover it at the point in the movie where the audience would. If the reader experiences the release of information the same way an audience would, hopefully it will make t…
in Conclusion…
- This may all seem laborious, but if the idea is good it can survive all the different forms it has to take to eventually make it on to screen. Much of climbing up in the industry is about selling, and the film treatment provides a dynamic and engaging way to sell your idea. 1. What did you think of this article? Share It, Like It, give it a rating, and let us know your thoughts in the comments box f…