A treatment is a semi-dramatized, present-tense, preliminary structuring of a screenplay; an elaboration of the presentation.
What issue is most important in the treatment? The answer, without question, is unity; the solid development of a single story with a strong central spine. Though side issues and subplots may be introduced, ever and always they remain subordinated to the basic scheme.
This is why clear thinking on premise and starting lineup is so vital. If you’ve done your work on them well, they provide you with a firm foundation on which to build your treatment. In consequence, unless you deviate too wildly, your treatment, too, is likely to prove sound.
The treatment has three functions: to sharpen the ...
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