A film treatment (or simply 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, but are told in the present tense and describe events as they happen. A treatment may also be created in the process of
adapting a novel, play, or other pre-existing work into a screenplay.
Original draft treatment
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 and eighty standard
letter size or
A4 pages (
Courier
A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...
New 12 point), with an average of about forty pages. For example, the draft treatment of ''
The Terminator'' is forty-eight pages long.
More elaborate forms of the draft treatment are the
step outline and the
scriptment.
Presentation treatment
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
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by ...
, 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.
The presentation treatment is the appropriate treatment to submit if a script submission requires one. They are usually at least three, but fewer than thirty, pages in length, with most being of seven to twelve pages.
Usage
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
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Treatment
Treatment
Screenwriting
de:Drehbuch#Treatment