SCRIPTWRITING

LECTURE 2
WHAT IS SCRIPTWRITING
• Script writing (or screenwriting) is the process of writing stories in the
screenplay medium. It entails stating and describing the environment,
movement, actions, expression, and dialogue of the characters in
screenplay, in screenplay format.

• Its main difference from prose writing is that in prose, the writing is
the finished product whereas in scriptwriting, the film is the final
product.

• Before writing a script, one must first have a TREATMENT

TREATMENT
• A treatment is a document that presents the story idea of your film before
writing the entire script.

• Treatments are often written in present tense, in a narrative-like prose, and

highlight the most important information about your film, including title,
logline, story summary, and character descriptions.

• Treatments are a way for a writer to test out an idea before investing their
creative energy fully into a screenplay. It’s also used to present the story to
studio executives or producers who might want to finance the film. It
should be at least two to five pages depending on the scope of the project.
It is imperative that you only portray the most important information.
ELEMENTS OF A TREATMENT
• Treatments contain detailed descriptions of the setting, theme,
character roles, and plot in order to show how the story will play out
for the audience. There are four main things a treatment should
contain:

• 1. Title. Give your film/show a title, even if it’s just a working title.
• 2. Logline. This is a short sentence summarizing a movie. Learn how
to write a logline here
• 3. Plot summary (Synopsis). How long you want your story
summary to be depends on you as a writer—some writers give short
one-page summaries, while others use 70 pages to tell their film’s
story.
• 4. Key characters. Provide a breakdown of key characters, including
their arch or how their character develops in the story
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING A TREATMENT
• It sets up the world that you want the reader to envision
• Lays out the structure of the whole story
• It helps you identify plot holes, or parts of the film that are
missing early enough
• It fleshes out the characters and figures out the importance of
different roles
• It serves as a roadmap that makes the journey of the film easier.
CLASS EXERCISE

Using the concept art provided, in two groups, formulate a very

brief treatment using the format provided in the previous slide.
You will have an hour maximum to discuss, type and present it to
the rest of the class afterwards.

Concept art by Justina Bien. 2018