Some useful information about the treatment:


A treatment is a detailed outline of your film from start to finish - including all of your clever twists and turns. Some writers love them whilst others (usually the lazy ones) loathe them.
No matter what the view on treatments is, there is no mistaking that they are an immensely powerful tool for scriptwriters that force we into thinking about the path our story will take rather than focusing on the "cool scenes".
For the writers that prefer to skip this step and dive straight into the 1st draft of the screenplay, they tend to write really shit scripts which in turn make god-awful movies. It makes good sense to have a good, long think about our story before writing a script for story.
Treatments are a very popular way of attracting attention from studios or people in the industry when I haven't got a completed script ready. My treatment should be short and snappy so that it grabs peoples attention. The jury is still out on what is an ideal length for a treatment, but as a guide Iu should keep it down to 7-pages maximum (computer type) if you are writing a feature. If I are writing a short, I should be able to condense this down to one page/ but in my assignment I need 2 pages only. Lucky me!!!
However, my aim is to write a treatment for ourselves as I am going to be the ones making it.
LAYOUT
There are three distinct methods for presenting a treatment. As I am writing for myselff, I can pick whichever method works best for me as Iwon't be seeking anyone's approval.
1. HEADERS
A short-hand outline of the movie where key moments or scenes are put as a header. This allows a reader to skim through the treatment if need be e.g.
2. PROSE-STYLE
This method, I am basically writing the film down as a story minus the excessive detail that a novel would have.
As I can see, loads more detail but not too detailed. Certain scenes may be simply referred to in this type of treatment whereas key sequences may warrant fuller descriptions. When writing this form of treatment, try to offer a reading experience that tracks the emotions and feelings of the film-going experience. Tell the story directly and avoid like the plague using phrases like "I was thinking it'd be great if..." or "I'm not sure whether...” In other words, don't be indecisive. Stick to the story.
3. DIVIDE IT UP
In a way, this method is a mixture of the other two. I break the script down into five sub-categories: concept, characterization, theme, tone, and story. This method is a popular choice for some as it allows me to add into the treatment what is unique about my approach, what people will find interesting, as well as telling the story.

Ripina Nguyen