WRITER’S EDGE: 5 Tips for Writing A Treatment
Steve Kaire shares tips on the value of writing a treatment for your screenplay.
Steve Kaire is a Screenwriter/Pitchman who’s sold 8 projects to the major studios without representation. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveKaire.
A treatment is a summary of what happens in your three act screenplay. It is useful to write a treatment for several reasons.
1. A treatment can quickly indicate to a story analyst if you have structured your screenplay correctly. It will also show exactly where your inciting incident is
located.
2. Treatments can vary in length anywhere from three to twenty pages, the average length being ten. There is a specific format which should be followed. Treatments are always written in the third person using the pronouns he, she, or they.
3. Dialogue is not included and the narrative is written in expository prose. Example: As she walks down the street, two strange men block her path.
4. Treatments are double-spaced for easy reading. A cover page is attached which includes the title, author, registration, and contact information.
5. Treatments on their own are hard to sell but are valuable in crafting your script.
Get tips from Jon James Miller in his OnDemand webinar
Write a Film Treatment That Will Get Your Script Requested
STEVE KAIRE is a Screenwriter/Pitchman who’s sold 8 projects to the major studios without representation. The last project he sold, he’s Co-Producing for Walden Media. A screenwriter for over 30 years, he holds a Masters in Dramatic Writing and has taught writing classes at the American Film Institute. Steve was featured on the Tonight Show’s, “Pitching to America” and was voted a Star Speaker at Screenwriters Expo three years in a row. His top rated CD, High Concept - How to Create, Pitch & Sell to Hollywood is a best seller.
