How to Write a Script Treatment
The screenplay treatment or script treatment represents an integral part of the script writing process that every aspiring screenwriter must accomplish at some point. Whether you’ve got a great film concept or you’re just sitting on a basic idea, the film treatment is what makes the difference between a well-planned storyline and a film that flops. In fact, learning how to write a script treatment is a big part of the production process and something that you’ll focus much of your script writing time on as you hone your screenwriting skills.
We’re going to help you learn how to write a script treatment that effectively delivers the key ideas of your film to the desired audience in just a few quick steps.
What is a Script Film Treatment?
A script film treatment represents the key details of your story idea before you write the entire script. The treatment will include information on your title, logline, a story summary, and your individual character descriptions.
Not only does the film treatment show that you’ve thought your story out collectively and planned, but that the idea can be presented in a way that will grasp the attention of the desired studio or production company.
How to Write a Script Treatment
Learning how to write a script treatment is really about practice. Read some script treatments to help get an idea of what you should and should not include. Consider drafting out your details a few times to make sure that you’re being as inclusive and refined as possible.
Script treatments provide the setting, theme, character roles, plot and specific elements of importance relative to your film – it’s like a quick outline of your story and why it’s important, before actually writing the script.
You’ll include the following in your script treatment:
- The title of your film. This might change, but a working title is important.
- The logline. This is usually 1 or 2 sentences, 30 words or less in total. It summarizes your story and should grasp the attention of the reader.
- The plot summary. This is usually summarized in a few pages and represents the story summary. For a simple plot, your summary might only be a page but for a complex plot you might have 20 pages or more.
- The key characters. Your script treatment should include details of all key characters, what the arch is and how they develop in the story.
Outline of Steps
Learning how to write your script treatment is all about practicing. Start with your title and then your logline. These must grasp the attention of the reader.
Next, summarize the concept. This is your chance to expand on your logline and provide additional details. You should also be setting up the main characters of your film. How do they develop?
Consider outlining the key acts of your story next. A three act structure will help you to formulate your summary. As you explore the acts, mention who we see, what they do, and how the story evolves.
Finally, write your epilogue or final paragraph which concludes the summary and ties up any loose ends that were left in the summary.
