The Formula of a Treatment (Part 1/2): How to Structure Your Story Before It's Filmed

Creating a well-structured treatment is one of the most important — and often overlooked — steps in the screenwriting process. I learned this through my own experience and during screenwriting courses I took.

At first, I thought I could jump straight into writing the screenplay, but I quickly realized that without a clear, detailed treatment, I was just fumbling in the dark. The treatment is where you truly understand your story — its structure, characters, and emotional journey — before you get lost in pages and pages of scenes.

In my opinion, this step is absolutely essential. Writing the treatment first keeps you focused, saves you from endless rewrites, and helps ensure you actually finish your screenplay. Honestly, if you skip this, you’re setting yourself up for frustration and failure.

Trust me — don’t ever skip this step.

We use treatments everywhere:

✅ When submitting to film festivals

✅ When applying for funding or production support

✅ When pitching to producers, directors, and actors

✅ Even when trying to clarify your own story before writing the script

And yet many screenwriters still confuse the treatment with a synopsis — and this is a critical mistake.

TREATMENT VS. SYNOPSIS

Let’s get clear on the difference:

✅ A synopsis is a short summary of your story — usually 150 to 300 words — written in present tense, covering the broad strokes: protagonist, conflict, major events, and resolution.

✅ A treatment, on the other hand, is a scene-by-scene prose version of your story, written like a condensed version of the film. It includes tone, pacing, visual details, character arcs, and sometimes even snippets of dialogue. A good treatment is usually between 1,000 to 2,500 words — though it can be longer for feature films.

In other words:

The synopsis sells the concept.

The treatment proves the story works.

THE FORMULA OF A TREATMENT

Yes — there’s actually a formula you can use to structure your treatment.

But before you even begin writing it, you need to have a clear outline of your screenplay composition. That means:

✅ Main character arc

✅ Clear conflict and stakes

✅ Act structure

✅ Emotional turning points

✅ Thematic throughline

Once you have these elements, your treatment becomes a natural extension of your story.

Here’s a simplified formula to keep in mind:

T = (S × 3A) + D

Where:

T = Treatment

S = Story (complete and structured)

3A = Three-act structure (Act I: Setup, Act II: Confrontation, Act III: Resolution)

D = Descriptive detail (visuals, tone, mood, character psychology)

So if your story is ready and structured using the classic three-act model, and you can layer in visual description and emotional weight, you’ve got the right ingredients for a strong treatment.

WHY STRUCTURE MATTERS

Without structure, your treatment reads like a chaotic idea dump. With structure, it becomes a cinematic pitch on paper — something that producers and readers can see in their minds.

Using the three-act structure in your treatment ensures that:

✅ The story builds momentum and emotional investment

✅ The pacing feels natural and not rushed

✅ Readers understand the transformation of the protagonist

✅ Every scene has a purpose in the larger narrative arc

THE BEST VIDEO TO LEARN FROM

If you want to truly understand how to write a treatment, I highly recommend watching Syd Field’s Screenwriting Workshop (available online). It includes practical exercises, real treatment examples, and scene breakdowns that walk you through the entire writing process.

Syd Field is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on. He was one of the first screenwriting teachers to systematize the three-act structure, and his books — like Screenplay and The Screenwriter’s Workbook — are considered must-reads for anyone serious about the craft.

✅ His teachings are simple, powerful, and based on real-world storytelling

✅ He breaks down treatments using both classic and contemporary films

✅ His video workshops feel like sitting in a masterclass with a mentor

Syd Field understood that writing a script is more than just having a great idea. It’s about planning the emotional rhythm of the story — and the treatment is where that rhythm begins.

If you found this first part helpful, get ready for Part 2 — where we’ll dive deeper and break down an actual example treatment using the formula I shared. Seeing the structure in action will help you understand how to apply these principles to your own story, step by step. Whether you’re writing your first treatment or refining an existing one, this next section will give you practical guidance and clear examples to take your screenwriting to the next level.