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By writing a script treatment for a film, documentary, or TV show, the script treatment writer tries to convince people that the show deserves to be made. It is the condensed form of the proposed show for the entertainment industry, covering the rudiments of the concept, characters, locations and the story in its broadest form. A treatment is not a synopsis or an outline, but rather an extended form of the same, written with a different purpose altogether.
Some script writers find it convenient to start writing a script treatment before they begin to work on the screenplay while others start with the script and then proceed to the treatment. Whatever method suits you is good enough but writing a treatment is a step that cannot be side-tracked. This is a must because a treatment assists the writer to stay focused. It acts as a roadmap, guiding the process of crafting the entire screenplay.
Writing a script treatment helps to market the idea of the story. The first written document that the executives in the production companies get to read is the treatment. The treatment decides the fate of the screenplay. Be sure to include the chief elements in the script:
The subject of the story
The main conflict - why the hero and the villain are on loggerhead terms
The action sequence and the locations of each
All the characters
The climax - confrontation between the villain and the hero
The resolution - triumph of the good over the evil
It is important to give a short description of the characters, how they interact with one another and the role they play in moving the story forward. Writing a script treatment necessitates recounting of the climax of the story where the villain and the hero engage in a physical or verbal tussle. How the protagonist emerges victorious over the antagonist is also to be clearly narrated in the treatment.
Writing a script treatment is a fast method to test out an idea before plunging into composing the lengthy screenplay. The audience has to be pampered. The writer must write in view of the likes and dislikes of the spectators. A treatment will show up any flaws or loopholes in the intended screenplay that can be plugged and proceed only after that. In this way the writer can perform better and be sure to reach the hearts and minds of the audience.
Brevity holds the key to compiling successful treatments. A few pages are all that should form the treatment that you hand over to the executives for evaluation. The cover page must contain all the contact information of the writer, the title, WGA registration number and a catchy logline. Use active voice, present tense and easy to read font. Just answer the questions of who, what, when, how, why and where about your screenplay and you will have a treatment par excellence in your hands.
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