A treatment is a detailed prose narrative of the film story – more detailed than a logline, but not yet a full script with dialogue.
Technical Details
A standard treatment is 8-15 pages for feature films, 3-5 pages for short films, and up to 25 pages for complex narratives. The document follows a three-page format (Courier 12pt, double-spaced) with scene headings defining time and place. Treatments are structured into setup (25%), confrontation (50%), and resolution (25%), with each plot point explicitly detailed. Character descriptions are in uppercase upon their first appearance, and camera directions are limited to atmospheric descriptions.
History & Development
Irving Thalberg introduced the treatment as a mandatory development document at MGM in 1924 to evaluate stories before the costly screenplay phase. Producer Hal B. Wallis perfected the form in the 1930s at Warner Bros., using treatments as the basis for budget calculations. The 1960s saw a more literary approach with writers like William Goldman, while today's digital treatments in programs like WriterDuet or Highland integrate interactive elements and hyperlinks.
Practical Use in Film
George Lucas wrote a 13-page treatment for "Star Wars" (1977) that encompassed the entire original trilogy and served as a sales tool for 20th Century Fox. Christopher Nolan fundamentally develops 20-25-page treatments before every screenplay, as documented with "Inception" (2010). Streaming services like Netflix now require treatments with specific episode structures: 8-10 pages for pilot episodes, 2-3 pages per episode for season arcs. The treatment allows for rapid structural changes without dialogue adjustments and serves as a reference for departments during pre-production.
Comparison & Alternatives
The treatment differs from the synopsis by providing concrete scene progression rather than a mere plot summary, and from the screenplay by lacking dialogue and camera directions. Step outlines (scene lists) replace treatments in TV productions, while pitch decks (10-15 slides) complement visual treatments in the streaming era. Series Bibles expand the treatment concept for series formats by including character profiles and world-building. Treatments remain indispensable for international co-productions as they facilitate story communication across language barriers.