Chapter 6: Treatment Outline
A Treatment Outline is the next tool that I use after the Scene Cards, to help refine and clarify the story. This is an important next step, and essentially the “road map” that you will follow when you finally sit down to write your screenplay.
A Treatment Outline also allows me, the instructor, to analyze your story outline and give you valuable feedback to help you fix any “plot holes,” weak or missing turning points, slow pacing and even missing character arcs before you start your first draft.
This essentially forces you, the writer, to think through your entire story in a present tense, narrative format, so that when you sit down to write your screenplay, the “left brain” work of structuring the story is done, allowing the “right brain” to step in and get to work.
Here are the elements to include in your Treatment Outline:
Finished Treatment Outline should be about 3-4 pages long
It MUST BE TYPED using 12 font
Write in present tense only
Each scene card will be written as one or more paragraphs in your treatment
Leave a double space between each paragraph
Label your paragraphs:
OPENING
INCITING INCIDENT/CATALYST
IST TURNING POINT
MIDPOINT
2ND TURNING POINT
CLIMAX
RESOLUTION/CONCLUSION
Your Treatment Outline, should include more details than your scene cards and include the following:
Scene Heading – Location & Time – Day or Night (example: INT. BOXING RING – DAY)
Include/name all characters in the scene
Goal or purpose of the scene
Important details, clues or lines of dialogue
What decision does the character make (1st and 2nd Turning Point cards)
A sample scene card from the movie Creed (2015) might look like this:
|
MIDPOINT INT. BOXING RING – DAY Adonis fights Leo and wins. Rocky is in his corner. Bianca watches and congratulates Adonis after the fight.
|
Here is an EXAMPLE of how that Scene Card might be translated into the Treatment Outline:
MIDPOINT
INT. BLUE HORIZON – RING – DAY
Adonis readies himself for the fight. Rocky coaches Adonis from the corner, assuring him that this is what he’s been waiting for, and he’s there for him. The Referee sounds the bell and the fight begins. Bianca watches from the stands.
Adonis squares up with his opponent. Leo comes in hard and for a moment it looks like Leo is getting the upper hand, but Adonis pulls out the stops and takes him down with one powerful, right hook. Leo is down and Adonis wins the fight.