Film treatment
A film treatment (or treatment) is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture, television program, or radio play. It is generally longer and more detailed than an outline (or one-page synopsis), and it may include details of directorial style that an outline omits.
Treatments read like a short story, except they are told in the present tense and describe events as they happen.[1]
Original draft treatment[edit source | edit]
The original draft treatment is created during the writing process, and is generally long and detailed. It consists of full-scene outlines put together. Usually there are between thirty to eighty standard letter size/A4 pages (Courier New 12 point), with an average of about forty pages. For example, The Terminator original treatment is forty-four pages.[citation needed] More elaborate forms of the draft treatment are the step outline and the scriptment.
Presentation treatment[edit source | edit]
The presentation treatment is created as presentation material. Generally the scene card descriptions are written out in order, and only have the essential and important story events that make up the scenes. It is the full story in its simplest form, moving from the concept, to the theme, to the character, to the detailed synopsis of about four to eight pages of master scenes.
Presentation treatments are used to show how the production notes have been incorporated into the screenplay for the director and production executives to look over, or to leave behind as a presentation note after a sales pitch.[2]
The presentation treatment is the appropriate treatment to submit if a script submission requires one. They are usually three to thirty pages in length, with an average of seven to twelve pages.
Usage[edit source | edit]
Treatments are widely used within the motion picture industry as selling documents to outline story and character aspects of a planned screenplay, whereas outlines are generally produced as part of the development process. Screenwriters may use a treatment to initially pitch a screenplay, but may also use a treatment to sell a concept they are pitching without a completed screenplay.
References[edit source | edit]
- ^ "Film Treatments". Lights Film School. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Writing Treatments That Sell". FilmMakers.com. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
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