Nifty Robot Filmmaking and Screenwriting Podcast

Putting Together Your Treatment and Outline

// April 30th, 2009 // podcast, screenwriting

In today’s podcast episode we’ll be talking about putting together your treatment and outline. Andy and I have similar methods when it comes to putting these things together. But it turns out we also have differences when it comes to actually executing these documents. In this episode we’ll discuss our tactics and strategies when it comes to writing a treatment and outline for your script.

Importance of note cards

• allows you to visually see your story in front of you
• allows you to easily rearrange, add, and delete scenes, characters, and sub plots without doing too much damage
• complete freedom in regards to creative story development

What should be in your screenplay treatment or “brain dump”

• producers want to know what happens next after your initial “idea”
• helps you pitch a story and not just a story idea
• makes writing your script less stressful and allows creativity to focus on action and character
• allows major story changes to not set you back or require massive rework
• treatments should exist on many levels, free form brain dump, short story structure and flow, story and character short summary

Leave us your pre-writing methods in the comments section below. I always enjoy learning about other writers methods.