So, you are applying for Seed and need help with getting your treatment prepared.
Treatments – what are they? And why do I need to create one?
Treatments can be anywhere between 5 to 20 pages, depending on who is asking for it and what it’s used for. Film treatments and TV treatments are also slightly different, and when researching treatments, you may receive some contradictory advice. However, you will notice that the key element common in all your research, no matter the page count, is the story!
The treatment is created to tell your movie story. The reader should be able to come away from reading your treatment knowing what your story for screen is about.
They should feel like they know the characters, and they understand the emotional journey those characters have been on. They should feel like they ‘get’ the tone and the genre of this movie. Is it action, drama, comedy?
The best way to tell them all of this is with a tightly crafted narrative story, with a beginning a middle and an end.
In the case of Seed, the treatment required is 5 pages exactly and is a key piece of material that the story will be judged on. Seed Advanced requires a 10-page treatment.
Other screenplay grants or early development funding pathways normally require between 5-10 pages. This is so the funders, producing and creative partners can assess the full screen story – especially if no script or a partial script is available – and decide if they want to support this story for screen.
Helpful sites with How To Guide’s for writing a treatment and why they are required:
Comments