What is a "treatment?"

B

Bobonli

Well-known member
An opportunity has presented itself to enter into a contest to make a short film for a potential monetary award. The application calls for a "treatment," a term I am not familiar with in this context. Though I've made a few very short shorts for my employer, I've never had to present the game plan in writing; I'm assuming that is what is meant by a treatment....a proposal of sorts.

Could someone enlighten me on this subject: what is it, how long must it be for a 5 minute piece, how much detail is required? There is a subject/theme but the specifics as to who will be in it is unknown, as the sponsor will hook me up with the subjects; therefore, it is not like I can write a screenplay or script at this point.

I have a plan, just don't know how to present it in the correct format.

Thanks,
Bob
 
A treatment is a trap.

It's what producers and movie executives ask to see before you start a script, so that they can approve of the direction of the story. But in fact, no one can truly agree on what it is: how long should it be, how much dialog, etc. If you concentrate on character, they'll say there's not enough story. If you concentrate on story, there won't be enough character. It's a roadmap to a script which is a roadmap to a movie. Execs have a hard enough time reading scripts, let alone trying to read treatments!

But all that said, if you really must write a treatment (try not to, except for your OWN purposes in writing the script), then the treatment is usually a way to sell the story before you get the money to write the screenplay. It reads like a narrative, and gives a sense of the first, second and third acts, the tone and the characters.
 
When we first approached a director about an idea, he asked for a treatment...and I had to go looking for information just as you are now...

Some say it is a short synopsis of the film in narrative form, maybe 4-8 pages...some call that a (long) outline...there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy when it comes to the term treatment...ours ended up being 25 pages for a feature, and expanded to over 40.

There is usually no dialogue...a few lines for effect can be used, but sparingly.

Others say it can be a few pages long, with points or "beats" written in to give the jist of what is happening as the story progresses. Some consider beat sheets a separate item altogether.

What I have learned is to ask the person what they mean when they say 'treatment,' or even to see an example...

Most people do usually mean a short story version of the script in narrative form when they use the word, and the length should be proportionate to the form...a feature is usually about 90-120 pages, so a treatment should be about 20-30 pages...long enough to tell the story in some detail, but not so long where you might as well just write the script.

So, if your short is 30 minutes, 4-7 pages should be about enough....if it is a five minute short, a single page or so would be about right.

Hope this helps...
 
DeSica said:
There is usually no dialogue...a few lines for effect can be used, but sparingly.


Most people do usually mean a short story version of the script in narrative form when they use the word, and the length should be proportionate to the form...a feature is usually about 90-120 pages, so a treatment should be about 20-30 pages...long enough to tell the story in some detail, but not so long where you might as well just write the script.
Click to expand...
This is how I do a treatment.
 
Thanks. I'm on the right track.

Yes, I am going to ask them what they mean treamtment to be, but I just wanted to make sure I had the basic concept correct.
 
James Cameron calls his treatments "scriptments," because he adds actual pieces from the script into the treatment. He also writes superfluously. I read the 80 page treatment, to Abyss I think, and it was completely unnecessary to write so much.

A treatment, as I've had to write one before, is essentially just an outline, written in a narrative format. It's more like telling a story instead of actually outlining certain events.

It's also loosely used. And often treatments aren't always required, except for people who really like them.

So, you could pretty ignore everything I just said since I practically repeated everyone else before me.
 
Simply Scripts can be a bit confusing when it comes to answering questions like 'what is a treatment?' or 'how long is an outline?'...

A 69 page 'outline' for The Battle For The Planet Of The Apes? On top of the immense length, it has dialogue, camera angles and screen direction...seems more like a scriptment, but isn't listed under the scriptment section.

That site can bring up more questions than it answers...
 
A treatment like the one you are talking about should probably be 5 pages or less. Anything longer is really a "Development Treatment."

From David Trottier's Screenwriters Bible:

"A treatment is actually a long synopsis - a written pitch, analogous to the long pitch discussed earlier - double spaced and written in a present-tense
narrative form with no or little dialogue. It's not a scene by scene rundown, and you will only focus on about three or four characters. It emphasizes the
crucial moments, the key events of the story, and the emotional highs and lows of your characters. This treatment not only tells the story, but sells the
story. It is a marketing piece. You write it for producers, talent, and directors - you want them to love the story. You want them to say, 'What a
great concept! Let me read the script'"

The weird thing is that no matter how many resources I have checked over the years, I've never gotten the same answer twice. For some Outline and Treament
are interchangeable, for others they are very different. For some 3 pages is great, for others 15-40 is necessary. I think the main thing is that it show the basic elements in the most favorable light and that the structure be rock solid.

Above all the treatment is about the STORY. Almost like it were in a children's book. Now what do you include? Some folks think some backstory is necessary,
but I'm not sure. A one paragraph set-up might not be a bad idea, but if you go further than that it begs the question of "If this type of exposition is necessary, how are we going to do it in a script?" Otherwise, just tell the story in a compelling, but not extraneous way. But like a script, I wouldn't overthink the first draft. Just write it, then slice and dice it up.

This article has some dedicated Treatment books, but I haven't read them:

http://madscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-to-write-treatment.html

I hate treatments, as I believe most screenwriters do. Writing paragraph after paragraph of what happens in the story isn't as much fun as a cool line of
dialogue. But they are actually a good way to see how solid your structure is...which is probably why I avoid them.... It's almost like an actor's reel. It doesn't get you the part, but it gets you the audition.

A few articles that might be of some interest:

http://johnaugust.com/archives/2003/how-long-a-treatment
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2003/specs-treatments-and-pitches
http://www.robinkelly.btinternet.co.uk/spfaq19.htm#Treatments

A bit of levity:

http://www.bmyers.com/public/807.cfm

Wish I could be more help. I just think that, while there are some standards, if you get the idea across and they LIKE THE IDEA, that is what matters most.
 
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