Writing A Film Treatment

By Author: Adam Ross
Total Articles: 117
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Writing a film treatment is a necessity for screenwriting. The process of writing a film treatment may take away some of the enthusiasm you initially had when your decided to take up screenwriting. This occurs because try as hard as you can, over 95 percent of treatments are rejected because they failed to make their mark. Most professional studios or producers do not have the time to read treatments, which is why it helps to have connections in the industry. Producers hire someone else to read the hundreds of treatments they receive every day.
The working of the film industry is esoteric. One can never be really sure of what will click and what will not. Yet, the grandeur and the magnetic aura surrounding film industry draw millions of budding screenplay writers to try their luck here every year. The best way to do so is to take writing a film treatment seriously and simply hope to make it past the pearly gates on earth. It is better to know that the idea you are trying to sell is not marketable before you write the entire screenplay. Make a start somewhere and get trained in screenplay writing. A film treatment does ...
... not keep to very stringent rules. All that is really needed is a story telling skill, a large inventory of vocabulary and the ability to enthrall the reader by conflating the two.
A treatment must be interesting to read. The element of excitement should be brought in right at the beginning or else the reader will not care to go on. It is a good idea to use headings for the different acts of the treatment. Headings could be a few words to sum up what lies in the pages that follow. While writing a film treatment, remember to keep it as short as possible without sacrificing the crucial points or flow of the story. Inclusion of a few killer dialogues will do a world of good and make your treatment livelier. Avoid any sort of dereliction, submitting only the work that has been read, re-read and polished to perfection.
Selection of words makes a big difference. The writing of a film treatment poses lexical problems. Choose words that enhance the vibrant picture that you want to paint. Write in a prose form, using only present tense. Try to give a film going experience through your treatment. Writing a film treatment is the first step toward gaining funding and planning your scrip. It also helps to establish a strong relationship between the writer and the film makers.

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