full script or treatment of a story?

Question

Good Morning Everyone.. I emailed a production agency about an idea I had and they said "Why don't you email me a full script or treatment for an idea you have so I can get a sense of your writing style".. What does that mean? Can I just email her a symposis of the story? Is there a particular formatt that I need to be writing in? This means alot to me, and I want to make sure it's perfect..

Answer 1

A treatment is just writing it in story form but it can be basic or elaborate. A full script is obviously writing a script in proper format usually using software like final draft. You also need to register your script, treatment, or whatever you have so far with WGA and the Library of Congress to protect yourself from anyone taking your material and running with it (leaving you out of a deal down the line and making your film without you). They may put it down mercilessly now and tell you that you have no talent, but 5 years from now you see a film that looks just like your concept... protect your material.

Treatments:
http://www.filmmakers.com/features/screenwriting/treatment.htm

Final Draft (get the free demo to try it out!)
http://www.finaldraft.com/

If you don't / can't get Final Draft look at examples here:
http://script-o-rama.com/snazzy/dircut.html

Register your script & get more info:
http://wga.org/

Writer's site:
http://www.triggerstreet.com/gyrobase/index

Seeing as they're interested in you, send them a good sized treatment or a full script. If you're not confident in scriptwriting and correct format then send a really nice treatment. At this point I think it would be a mistake to send a synopsis which would sound more like a pitch.

good luck,
Marianne

Answer 2

You have your foot in the door, So to speak.

They want more than an idea!

Any staff writer can reformat the text, but it will have more value if you write a full script.

They need to see how you handle it!

If they have to write it, than it will have very little value.

Go Figure!

Answer 3

I would probably email the full script, since that way you know you are giving her what she is asking for. Unless you are certain what a "treatment" is, I probably wouldn't gamble on getting it right. Since she gave you an option, I would probably take her up on the one you know you can deliver.