Writing Treatments

tips to make them more engaging

Ah, treatments. Such a joy to write. Such a thrill to read. Everyone loves writing them, everyone loves reading them. Haha, no.

Unfortunately the opposite is true. No-one really likes writing or reading them. And yet, they’re a vital part of the development process in film & TV. So what’s the problem?

The problem is familiarity versus clarity.

Familiarity from the writer, as they think they’ve conveying everything in a compelling manner.

But the reader yearns for clarity in terms of the information that they have to process and figuring out the main narrative thread.

Here are a few of my top tips to make your treatments more entertaining and engaging.

Imagery Not Information

Start with imagery, not information. Entice the reader into the world of the story with visuals and combine them with the leading drama of the piece. Continue to use key imagery from the story as the treatment develops. It makes it far more vivid and interesting.

Sequence Approach

Break your treatment down into key sequences and label them as paragraph headings. For example, THE HEIST. THE DOUBLECROSS. THE PLAN. ONE LAST JOB. These provide context for the reader and create a causal flow to the narrative. Bonus tip, if you break down between 20-25 of these sequences, you should have enough content for a feature film.

Label the Structure

It’s sometimes useful to label the structure, too, with or without those sequence headings. That way, any reader or exec will know where they are in the story and it makes it easier for them to process the story detail. You only need to use end of act one and end of act two really; avoid marking in ‘inciting incident’ or ‘act two midpoint’, that’s probably a bit too much.

Flashbacks? Voiceover?

If you have a non-linear structure, or feel it necessary to include flashbacks or cutaways, no problem, put it all in. But try to ensure it’s clear and consistent, or it has a justifiable presence in the story, rather than using it once or twice for throwaway moments. Same goes for voiceover. Put it in if it’s relevant.

Too Much Info

One of the traps of treatments is to indulge in too much information. Detailed character descriptions, backstory, and so on. Stick to the main story as much as possible, which is hopefully following a protagonist with a clear dramatic goal, and the conflict they face.

Ah, treatments, such a joy to write, such a thrill to read. Everyone loves writing them, everyone loves reading them. Well, they do now!