Note: Information about David and his upcoming "Beyond Structure" screenwriting workshops in LA and NY is attached at the end of this discussion.

WHAT IS A TREATMENT, AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM A SYNOPSIS?

Often, in selling an idea to Hollywood, circumstances require that you write a "treatment" -- an engaging synopsis of your idea or story. The difference is length. Usually, anything longer than 2 ½ - 3 pages is called a treatment. What's required here at InkTip is a synopsis of 1 page or shorter. You can write a treatment as well, but that is optional.

WHAT DOES ONE AIM FOR IN A TREATMENT OR SYNOPSIS?

Treatments and synopses are selling tools. To the degree possible, you want to:

1) Relay the plot and make it sound fascinating;

2) Make sure the treatment is a "page turner" -- that it's a quick read;

3) Use colorful adjectives and especially verbs. In a treatment, a person doesn't "sit down on a couch" -- they "plop down on the couch."

4) Quickly give the reader a sense of the main characters and their emotional growth as the story progresses;

5) Capture the "feeling" of the film or movie-of-the-week you're trying to sell. That is, a comedy treatment should be funny to read. An action treatment should be exciting to read. A thriller treatment should keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat.

Obviously, the longer the synopsis or treatment, the easier it is to accomplish 1 - 5 above. However, at InkTip, synopses must be no longer than one page. Therefore, rewrite it as many times as needed to accomplish as much of 1 - 5 as you can.

WHAT FONT SHOULD ONE USE?

Once upon a time, treatments were written using 12-point courier font. However, there are no absolutes on this. Just be aware that most other fonts squeeze letters together more tightly, making the treatment a slower read.

Sometimes I'll use Courier or Arial and bold it, sometimes not. Whether to bold it or not might depend on how darkly your printer prints, what version of the fonts you're using, and whether or not you're handing in something on paper or on screen.

Courier especially tends to be so light that I bold it but print it with my printer on the "light" setting.

By the way, if you search for fonts you can purchase online, you can find many places that sell a "Courier Medium." That would be fine if you're printing your synopsis or emailing it as a PDF. If you're emailing it as a Word doc, that wouldn't work because the receiver wouldn't have that font and it would be converted to something else on the receiving end.

CAPITALIZING NAMES

Remember to capitalize the name of a character the first time he or she appears in your treatment. This is similar to what you'd do in a script.

HOW LONG SHOULD A TREATMENT BE?

This last section only applies if, in addition to the synopsis, you also wish to write a treatment.

Probably the biggest mistake people make in writing treatments is that they make them too long. Executives in Hollywood hate to read, for they always have so much reading to do. Don't make your treatment overly detailed.

A treatment can be single spaced if it's 1 to 3 pages (with an extra space between the paragraphs) -

- or up to 7 or 8 pages (although this is on the long side; 4 or 5 pages is much better) if you're using 1 1/2 spaces between lines. (It's still good to insert an extra space between paragraphs).

Not everyone inserts an extra space between paragraphs. However, I think it makes for an easier read.

Click here to read a sample 1-page synopsis.

Click here to read sample 5-page treatment.

ABOUT DAVID S. FREEMAN AND "BEYOND STRUCTURE"

David S. Freeman, a working writer, teaches "Beyond Structure" (www.beyondstructure.com), LA's most popular screenwriting and fiction workshop.

The spring dates for "Beyond Structure" are:
L.A.: April 1-2
N.Y.: April 8-9

The workshop takes a radical approach, skipping all theory. Instead, it focuses on proven screenwriting and development techniques to vastly improve a person's ability to craft compelling characters, dialogue, plots, and scenes.

There are many examples of these techniques on the "Articles" section of the "Beyond Structure" website.

Past students include the writers, directors, producers, actors, and key executives from the companies that make or made:

The "Austin Powers" films, "Good Will Hunting," "Runaway Bride," "Meet the Fockers," "The Wedding Singer," "Sling Blade," "The Fugitive," "Total Recall," "The Simpsons," "E.R.," "The X-Files," "Law & Order," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Rush Hour" 1 & 2, "American History X," "12 Monkeys," "King of the Hill," "Pleasantville," "Roswell," "Lords of Dogtown," "Thirteen Days," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Frequency," "Angels in the Outfield," "Star Trek: Voyager / Deep Space Nine," "Married With Children," "12 Monkeys," "Saturday Night Live," and many other films and TV shows.

Contact info:
www.beyondstructure.com
From outside California toll free: (866) 239-2600,
Inside California, at: (310) 394-6556

SPECIAL NOTE: If you mention "InkTip" when you register, then at the class you'll receive a free "Treatment Pack" (normally sold at the class for $20) with samples of treatments from many genres.

ABOUT DAVID: David has had projects bought or optioned by Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Castle Rock Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, Hearst Entertainment, Allied Stars (at Sony), and many other major production companies. He co-wrote a $50 million film currently in post-production.

Feel free to email David at freeman@dfreeman.com

Copyright by Jerrol LeBaron, 2006
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