Directing the Documentary, 7th Edition

C H A P T E R 8

Developing Ideas for a Short Documentary

Now you can shape your preparatory writing into two vital forms of communication, one oral and the other written. A pitch is a brief oral presentation that “sells” your idea and highlights its values to a listener. A treatment is a written document using one paragraph per sequence (a setting or block of time) to evoke the sights and sounds of the intended film. Persuasive talking and writing are the prerequisites to persuasive filmmaking.

Both pitch and treatment use the present tense and active voice to establish the characters and their situation, as well as the main character’s problem (whatever he or she is trying to accomplish, overcome, or solve). They show how the film will develop ...