Treatments are comprehensive outlines, or blueprints, of a screenplay that can be used as a guideline when writing the script. They can be useful in reminding the writer what comes next, in building a story that has a three act structure, and in sharing the screenplay idea with other writers for feedback, or producers and other industry professionals to garner interest in the script.
Treatments are also marketable commodities, and while it doesn’t happen often, writers have been known to sell treatments without having yet written the screenplay. It is always a good idea to register a treatment with the Writers Guild of America before showing it to industry professionals.
What a Treatment Looks Like
A treatment is a condensed version of a screenplay, written in present tense and in paragraph form. It tells the story as the writer sees it in their minds. It should be single spaced, and runs about 8-15 pages using a normal, Times New Roman or Courier font in size 12.
Just like a screenplay that moves from scene to scene approximately every two pages, a treatment should move from scene to scene after every paragraph of two to four sentences.
Each paragraph should clearly introduce each new character using all capitals, and tag the character with a short description, both physical and emotional.
Some dialogue should be included, but not so much that the treatment becomes bogged down. A general rule is to include one line of dialogue per scene, or paragraph. This should be formatted as one would in a short story, using quotations, dialogue tags (in present tense) and proper fiction writing dialogue punctuation. Unlike a fiction manuscript, however, the treatment is not double spaced and the dialogue need not be in a new paragraph – instead it can be incorporated into that scene’s paragraph.
Usually the treatment will convey the tone of the script, be it a comedy or suspense, drama or action. This means that language, wording, bits of dialogue, and scene setting all contribute towards giving the reader a sense of the screenplay’s mood and feeling.
For examples of treatments, writers can search online and examine such sites as scriptHollywood.com.
A Method for Completing the Treatment
For a practical method in executing a screenplay, a writer can try quickly laying down a “beat sheet” or list of all the scenes they can think of.
Next, the writer reviews the beat sheet and fills in the blanks, making sure there are no major holes in the story and that it builds from introduction, through development, to resolution.
Finally, the writer takes each “beat” and expands upon it, cleaning it up so that it is readable and feels more like a story. For each paragraph, a setting is described briefly, characters are named, and the main, essential action of the scene is synopsized.
A snippet of dialogue that helps emphasize the point of the scene can be included to add concrete substance to the paragraph.
Let the Story Evolve
Often the treatment has to be revised once the writing of the screenplay begins. This is because the writer gets new ideas and sees new connections once the characters and situations come alive on the pages in the process of dramatic writing. It then becomes an interactive process, as the screenplay informs the treatment and vice versa.
A treatment can take time to create, but the benefits are great. In a relatively short time, the writer can create a blueprint from which to build the screenplay on, a starting point for discussion and story development, as well as a possible marketing tool for interested producers.
Often the treatment has to be revised once the writing of the screenplay begins. This is because the writer gets new ideas and sees new connections once the characters and situations come alive on the pages in the process of dramatic writing. It then becomes an interactive process, as the screenplay informs the treatment and vice versa.
A treatment can take time to create, but the benefits are great. In a relatively short time, the writer can create a blueprint from which to build the screenplay on, a starting point for discussion and story development, as well as a possible marketing tool for interested producers.
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