Guidelines for Original Play or Movie Treatment
You are going to write your own original play or movie treatment. A treatment is a synopsis of
a film or play idea. It is the step in between an outline and a script. This is generally what is
given to investors, script readers, producers and actors to gain their interest in a concept and
convince them to read the full script. This is a creative writing assignment. You are free to
create a treatment for any story idea you can imagine. We are all adults, so a low “R” rating is
acceptable, but let’s try not to get too graphic with sexual, violent or disturbing subject matter.
Format: Double-spaced, 12 pt. Courier font, black ink, justified 1″ margins
Cover Page
1. Title (14 to 16 pt. font, bold, centered)
2. The writer’s name and contact information
Intro and Cast Page
3. A short logline: Boils down a plotline to its essence, similar to a teaser trailer. Should
be 1 to 3 sentences. Don’t give away the ending!
4. Cast: Brief introduction to key characters
Treatment
5. 500 to 1000 words
6. It should read like a short story told in the present tense, describing events as they
happen.
7. It should be written in the third person. (Example: Jane sits down. She is exhausted.)
8. Who, what, when, why and where.
9. It should only include snippets of important dialogue, if any.
10. Help your audience to visualize your film. Allow them to smell, taste and experience
your environment.
11. Your treatment must be a complete story with an ending. It does not have to be a grand
epic masterpiece, but it does need to have a beginning, a middle and an end. “To be
continued…” is not acceptable.
Some helpful websites:
http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/articles/treatments/index.html
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/how-to-write-a-treatment.html
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/sample-movie-treatment-example-story-synopsis-for-a-
film-script.html
http://www.artisticnetwork.net/arts/837/how-to-write-a-film-treatment.html
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.