Im not completely sure, but I believe a treatment if just a story form of your script.

It depends on who you plan showing it to though. If this is just for yourself, then just write a story form of you film. If you plan on hopefully selling it, just go to google or something, and I'm sure you can get plenty of results.

Whenever I begin a film, I usually don't follow the rules really. My "treatment" consists of a story form of my script. It helps you to understand your movie better, and get to know your characters better than before, so that their dialogue and way of acting comes easier. Normally, I don't have the character speak at all in my treatment, but instead use things like "he spoke about the weather" so that when you get your script, everything will fit into place easier (as in most treatments). What I mean is this...

I used to write my script off the top of my head and then make changes as I thought of them. The script got too messy, and it was jumpy. When you write a "treatment" I found it easier to completely map out your film. You will know your characters as well as your best friend, and that will really make writing easier. You can also look at your story, and see where you can put twists in, because you have the entire film right before your eyes.

Again, i don't know much about the official way to write treatments or whatever, just kind of do what you think is best...

-YO

Thank you. I do a draft story with character develope before I write as well. I was needing a treatment for more of a proposal type purpose. Anyway I appreciate your input and the help thanks.

Knowledge is locked. Experience is the key.

Also see the FAQ under Screenwriting.

Ben C.

--
filmmaking.net
(Incorporating the Internet Filmmaker's FAQ)

Please note the opinions expressed here are those of the author only and do not constitute legal advice. The author cannot accept and liability whatsoever for inaccurate or outdated information contained within.
--

quote:

---

Originally posted by filmmaking.net

Also see the FAQ under Screenwriting.

---

Thank you ?:D? I have read it but I'm extremely visual. Just seeing if anyone was willing to let me read over an old one of theirs.

Knowledge is locked. Experience is the key.

If you don't mind me asking, who do you plan to propose it to?

-YO

A private investor that was interested in the idea when I talked to him about it. He loves movies and has wanted to be invovled in the making of one. But he is well known and runs a pretty large corperation so he can't put his name on just anything. He just wants something tangiable to review. I am just trying to get the funding, script , locations, ect... together all at the same time. Anyway I appreciate all your suggestion and this is a great site with great ideas.

Knowledge is locked. Experience is the key.

If you're going to have an investor, get a lawyer! Cover your ass and his. Unless this guy is a close friened or relative, you may need more than a treatment to get the cash. Write up an entire biz plan. Another suggestion would be to get a producer (or co-producer) to help get the project off the ground. Movie making is a team sport.

Good advise. I do have an intellectual property lawyer that is going to handle the contract between us. I plan on getting a project team together as soon as I find out my funding situation. The catch 22 thing. I agree covering my... is a good idea. I know both the attorney and investor on a personal level so I feel pretty comfortable with them. If there are any producers in the Dallas Houston or Tulsa area out there interested drop me a line.

Knowledge is locked. Experience is the key.

This is a regular college one, used for a project.

It's not particularly good, but it may be useful.

-----------------------

Treatment ? Short Film

Title: Short Film

Format: 3-Minute DV/Hi-8mm

Premise: A three way phone conversation takes place between three unknown characters that are in three drastically different situations.

Synopsis: The film opens with a reflection in a car?s rear-view mirror of a man?s eyes as he drives his car through an unknown street at night and in the pouring rain. This character?s name (only in relation to the script of ?Se7en?) is Somerset. As he says his first line we do not know he is alone in the car or on a hands-free mobile and so it seems as if he is talking to himself. Throughout the three minutes he seems as if he is getting more lost and agitated with the fact he is lost in the rain, and is running out of fuel. The second character in the script is John, a patient in what seems to be a mental hospital. Bound by a straight jacket and handcuffed to a plain chair he sits red-eyed talking through a microphone hanging from the ceiling; nothing else is known about this man. The third character is a man called Mills, who is sat on a roof of a tall building with a half empty bottle of whisky. He?s dressed in a suit and is obviously a depressed working man who is drowning his sorrows. In this scene it is also nighttime and there is an impressive skyline of lights and colours behind our character, who is talking on a mobile phone whilst pacing up and down the rooftop.

Style: Somerset?s scene will be shot in DV so I can capture the detail of the raining falling against the car windows as well as the street lights reflecting on Somerset?s face. I may use a constant light emanating from the dashboard to make sure the shot is not too dark, as well as the passing lights from street lamps and houses. The diagetic sounds I will use will include the raindrops tapping against the car roof and windows and the sounds of breathing or voices coming from the mobile phones hands-free kit. I will use mostly close ups for this scene, to maybe create a feeling of claustrophobia inside the car which adds to the tension.
John?s scene will be shot in either DV or Hi8mm, depending on how the test shots look with each mode of film. A lower quality film like Hi-8mm may catch the atmosphere of a blank, empty, cold room, which John is sitting in. Digital Video may pick up on too much detail in the background, taking the audience?s attention away form the main character. However it is easier to experiment with focus and exposure with a digital video camera so I will not know which to use until after the test shots. I?ll use mostly tracking medium shots for his scene to create a feeling of unease surrounding this character. The only diagetic sound, which will be used, is the feeling of emptiness, like the atmosphere inside a large empty warehouse; a sound I will record prior or post filming. The lighting will be very bright in the background and medium in the foreground which will hopefully make a surreal but interesting looking scene.
Mill?s scene will be shot on location on the roof of a tall building, either a car park or a block of flats in an urban area of some kind; this will mean a decent backdrop of bright lights and hills etc? This will be shot on DV although it would be nice to shoot it in 35mm so we could get the most out of the view, but we have not got the resources to do so. Medium and wide panning shots will be used for this scene to show off the panoramic views on each side of the building with our lone character pacing about the roof. The diagetic sound of distant traffic will be adding in later to add a feeling of height as well as the sound of a light wind.
The way the three different scenes are lit and shot will make this film what I hope it to be. I want this to be the case because we have no professional actors, so I wanted to take the emphasis away from that aspect of the film to pin the audience?s attention on something else. I did not want the standard of acting to bring down the standard of the film.

---------------------------------------------

Thank you Deej.

Knowledge is locked. Experience is the key.