South East News The Treatments

• Know the length. Treatments can be as long as 30-40 pages, but by that point they become closer to early rough drafts of the final work.) There is no correct "length" for a treatment the way there is for screenplays. 1-10 pages is probably most common, however.  

• Create the log line. Most screenwriters begin by devising a one-sentence description of their story. Ideally it includes the main character, the main antagonist, the nature of their conflict, genre elements (if it's a comedy, it should be humorous; if it's a thriller, it should thrill; if horror, it should horrify, etc.), and hints at least of the plot through line (the beginning, middle and end). 
• Usually screenwriters flesh out this log line further into a paragraph or more. At this point they are leaving behind the straitjacket of the log line and entering the more free-wheeling realm of the treatment.

•  Be aware that there are two ways to proceed from here: 
• Some writers expand the story like an outline, letting each bullet point represent a story beat or a scene, so that the final product approximates a rough scene outline of the entire story. Some may keep gradually fleshing out these bullet points, the way a painter colors in trace lines, until they've filled the whole thing out into a full rough draft.
• Other writers prefer a more categorical approach, where they explore different aspects separately, not necessarily in chronological order. For example, they may have a list of major characters whom they then describe with a paragraph or two each. They may have entire back histories of the main characters that might even run a page or two long. They may describe key locations with a paragraph each. They may also describe the plot but have it deconstructed, perhaps with the main plot in one group of paragraphs and various subplots described separately, not interwoven the way they would be in the script.

• Don't be hung up on rules. Screenwriting is a fairly rigid craft with countless rules (some meant to be broken, but there nonetheless). Treatments are one of the few areas of screenwriting where there really are no rules. It's just a summary of the plot, perhaps with a little character study, usually 1-10 pages long (and not always that, as it can be 2, 4, 8 times as long).

• Understand that the form should suit the reason for which you are creating the treatment. if it's a development tool for your own purposes, then follow your own instincts. If it's for a producer's benefit, ask what sort of format he or she prefers. Or again, follow your instinct. You can always just think of it as a written pitch, you telling the story to someone as simply and directly as possible, while making sure to convey the elements that make it stand out.

'FIRST IDEA' The Treatment

The show we are proposing is a 20 Minute news cast that will inform the viewer about events in the Southend area, hosted by Steff Preston and Maddie Govier it is going to be a factual news show which will be broadcasted on the _________________ . The broadcast will be streamed to the Echo homepage, because we are supplying news to a fairly low audience we will have a low budget so but teaming up with the Echo webpage where people already look at for a source of information we can get a good audience which would also be an asset to the website by making it easy for commuters to stay up to date on Southend Events, News, Reviews, Sports, Interviews, Music and more.

Outline Budget:

#	Item	Description	Cost	Availability
1	Costumes	Borrowed Clothes or Already Owned Clothing	£0
2	Newsdesk	Home-Made/Special Effect	£0
3	Banners/ Graphics	Home-Made/Special Effect	£0
4	Cameras	Borrowed	£0
5	Studio	Borrowed	£0
6	VT	Equipment Borrowed, No budget stories	£0
7	Interviews	Interviewees are Friends and will do for free	£0
8	Payroll	Student Project/Friends	£0

- Talent and Production Staff

Number	Job	Name
1	Director	Jemma.
2	Producer	Nicki.
3	First Assistant Director	David.
4	Writer	Connor.
5	Camera	Lesley.
6	Camera	Chloe.
7	Camera	Rory.
8	Mixing Desk	Ellis.
9	Presenter	Steph.
10	Presenter	Chris.
11	Lighting	Josh and Corey.
12	Sound	Dee and Franky.
13	Art Director	Ashley.
14	Runner	Maddie
15	Runner	Joe