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. Steps to writing a Treatment
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.
3 Expand 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.

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.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_2167673_write-script-treatment.
html#ixzz1moxPWem3

7. 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.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_2167673_write-script-treatment.
html#ixzz1moxPWem3