Writing a Treatment

1. Writing a Treatment What a treatment is Steps to writing a treatment

2. What Is a Treatment? There is controversy about the length a treatment can be. Some say up to 60 pages, but the point of the treatment is to communicate your story as quickly as possible, so brevity without sacrificing juice is the key here. There seem to be three opinions about what a treatment is. One opinion is that it is a one page written pitch. The second, is that it is a two to five page document that tells the whole story focusing on the highlights. The third opinion is that a treatment is a lengthy document that is a scene by scene breakdown of a script.

3. What Should Be in the Treatment? • A Working title • The writer's name and contact information • WGA Registration number (Writer’s Guild Association) • A short logline (to be explained) • Introduction to key characters • Who, what, when, why and where. • Act 1 in one to three paragraphs. Set the scene, dramatize the main conflicts. • Act 2 in two to six paragraphs. Should dramatize how the conflicts introduced in Act 1 lead to a crisis. (will not be needed for assignment) • Act 3 in one to three paragraphs. Dramatize the final conflict and resolution. (will not be needed for assignment)

4. Write a logline Preparing a log line for your screenplay is a basic marketing tool for developing treatments. It is a technique for boiling down a plotline to its essence. Follow the example below when writing a logline: Raiders of the Lost Ark Log line: Just before the outbreak of World War II, an adventuring archaeologist named Indiana Jones races around the globe to single-handedly prevent the Nazis from turning the greatest archaeological relic of all time into a weapon of world conquest.

5. 1 Compose a chronological list of major events that occur in your story from its opening scenes straight through to the end. For example: Two friends are summoned to the queen's court on charges of treason for ridiculing her in their plays. They convince her of their innocence and are released with a warning that their future productions will be closely watched. They recruit a clueless actor to hand copy their new script and pretend to be its author. The actor starts to interject his own ideas, which offends his employers. A plot to kill the actor goes awry; they now realize they really need him. The new play opens; the queen is in attendance and requests to meet the author. The actor successfully carries off the charade and becomes a media darling, much to the chagrin of the pair who invented his career. 2 Identify by name the characters who appear in your key scenes along with brief descriptions so readers can understand the casting requirements. For example: Sir James Peppersmoke (30's) is tall, lean and well-dressed. His writing partner and best friend Reggie Marland (30's) is short, rotund and looks as if he sleeps in his clothes. Make note of the locations and time frames of key scenes. 3Expand upon your outline by referencing additional scenes that advance the action, reveal layers of character and introduce supporting players that are pertinent to the plot. For example: Will's wife, Anne, has her husband followed in order to confirm her suspicions that he is cheating on her. She is instead brought the news that someone is planning to kill him on his way home that evening. 4 Use the outline content you have just compiled to write a polished, short story version of your entire movie. In the opening paragraph, identify when and where your story is set and what is transpiring in the first scene. For example: The opulently dressed QUEEN ELIZABETH I glowers with contempt from her throne, impatiently tapping her boney fingers as she addresses two men whose backs are toward the camera. She archly reminds them that this isn't the first time they have committed acts of treason against the throne, and that obviously, the only way to put a stop to their behavior is by having them beheaded. Establish the central conflict within the opening paragraphs and maintain a tight focus throughout the treatment. Paint compelling visuals so readers can "see" the movie playing in their heads as they read the summary. Steps to writing a Treatment

6. Tips & Warnings • When characters are first introduced, display their names in all caps. Write your treatment in the present tense and convey the tone of the movie through your writing style. A comedy, for instance, will have a more lighthearted feel than a gritty film noir. • Treatments are single-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides, short paragraphs and left margin alignment. They are printed on one side of white paper. Ink should always be black. • Use an easy-to-read 12 pt. font such as Courier, Times New Roman or Bookman. • The Movie Spoiler is a helpful website for understanding the level of detail that goes into a script treatment. Although its summaries are for movies that have already been produced, they closely follow the format of standard treatments. • Script treatments can be written prior to starting a project or after completing it. The challenge in either case is keeping the treatment consistent with the script's actual content. Authors often deviate from their original outlines once the writing gets under way, and sometimes they embed copious amounts of back-story into the treatment that never subsequently manifests in dialogue or action. Read more: How to Write a Script Treatment for a Screenplay | eHow.comhttp://www.ehow.com/how_2167673_write-script-treatment.html#ixzz1moxPWem3