Synopsis, Outline, Treatment? Part 2

This time about the outline. This tool doesn't get mistaken and is virtually never used as a sales tool. It is pretty simple and straight forward. In my own process this is the tool I use consistently throughout. From beginning to end.

It is a short description of each and every scene. The basics. Where, who, action, conflict, essential information. As brief and to the point as possible. Sometimes I throw in a single line of dialogue, I find crucial.

In the beginning I sketch this out in a notebook. I separate the notebook into four acts and then I begin to fill in scenes. At first I'm looking for the important scenes. The plot-point-scenes, any scenes that have given me the inspiration in the first place and scenes that are essential in linking those together. From there on it becomes about filling in the blanks - creating the smaller stepping stones. Often I separate the acts themselves into smaller units - sequences each driven by one question, task or idea. I give everything - scenes, sequences and acts - titles to re-inforce what they are about. Some use the much beloved index-cards for the whole re-shuffling thing. This doesn't speak to me, but I see why it works. For me, when the re-shuffling becomes the main job, I move from notebook to computer, because its often the same time I want to expand my notes on each scene into something more concise and clearly written.

This process form the basis for the two other short-forms - the treatment and the synopsis. The treatment being the natural expansion of the outline and the synopsis being the condensation. I do the synopsis to demand of myself the discipline to focus on the drama's most essential plot movements, conflict and narrative strategy - and not getting lost in detail and darlings. To be able to later on verbally narrate the story within half an hour and below, without missing the key elements, but making it sound like a movie. Late in the process, working with a director, it will easily become the reference tool and your common road-map to the full treatment/script. So it's a real handy thing.

The outline is the spine of the development process in many ways. It lets you develop your whole script without actually writing it - and contrary to belief and our job title, we are really not writers in the, you know, author sense. We are more like composers, I think. The outline also lets you remain flexible, able to play and goof around with your drama (notice how I keep saying drama, instead of story - again because we are not story-writers, but composers of drama). The moment you have actually written those scenes as scenes with dialogue and all the stuff, you get bogged down by them. It becomes more difficult to change, to play and goof. I know it's tempting to get into the writing of scenes. I feel the urge. I see it all the time when I am a teacher or consultant, how people want to skip the development and just write those scenes. If you have not already become accustomed to the development through outline, synopsis and treatment - start getting there and save yourself some trouble.

Synopsis, outline, treatment? Part 1.

Before ever writing a single scene or a single line of dialogue the scriptwriter should go through intermediary stages of sketching the drama. I don't know how it is in other corners of the world, but in many of the places I have been there seem to be some confusion about the different 'sketching'-formats. Fx. I hear producers, directors and writers use synopsis and treatment interchangeably. So I figured, I would describe my idea of them, their different incarnations and purpose. Here is my take on the synopsis.

The Synopsis
There are shorter formats - like a pitch or something in that neighborhood - but the synopsis is the shortest format, which is a real tool for the writer. The others tend to serve only the purpose of selling the story to producers.
The synopsis is short. But how short? In general I would say between 2-5 pages for a feature film. The synopsis of 2-3 pages is a presentation form and bordering on the verge of a sales tool, but can be useful in honing in on what your story is really about.
Being brought up in the Danish tradition I have been taught the 5-page synopsis, which has a really simple logic and formula. It goes like this:

Page 1: The first half page is used to describe the opening of the film, the hook or pitch, or what you want to call it, with some degree of detail. Then you spend the rest of the page on summarizing the action for the rest of the 1st act.

Page 2: The next half page is spend on what I call the initiating plot point - again with some detail. Rest of 2nd act is summarized on the remainder of the page.

Page 3: You guessed it, the next plot point - what I call the turning point - is again covered over a half page in detail - and then summary of the 3rd act.

Page 4: Do I really have to say it? Next plot point - I (and many others) call it the Point of No Return - in whatever detail you can fit in on half a page - and then a half page with the rest of 4th act (or almost the rest of it -- wait--wait...)

Page 5: The conclusion/climax - also a plot point - described in detail over a half page. That's it. Wait, it only tallies 4 and a half page? Well, it sounds awkward to say the 4-and-a-half-page synopsis - and anyway, the last half page, you are most probably going to use it up anyway, as you can't contain yourself to the strict half-page per plot point/act.

The obvious purpose of writing the 5-page synopsis is to flesh out the basic structure, get a feel for the rhythm and focus on the main story. Sometimes I start out with doing an outline and a rough treatment, and then I return to synopsis, to distill and purify the drama. Focus myself, before writing the first full treatment.

Later on in the process a sales synopsis might be written, either a short 2-pager or a full 5-page synopsis. Then it is the time to get obsessive about language. It really has to flow seamlessly. I often try to use some verbal language to soften up the highly condensed sentences. Especially when you find the exact right phrase, you can also reflect something about the tone of the film/situation.

Even if you don't use a 4 act model, you can figure out a similar way of writing a synopsis that fits your structure, where you detail the plot point and summarize the main body of action. Its all about rhythm.

A new experience

The treatment I worked on a while back is now out in the world, trying to meet some moneyed friends that might turn it into a fully fledged film. The director and me started out - modestly - by contacting smaller production companies, that we were somehow connected to. You know, just to have a chance of getting the treatment read within a foreseeable future. And also reasonable because, even though it is an action-comedy, we have tried to keep the budget down. No big explosions. Only expensive thing is many locations as the story is one long chase in Athens and surroundings.
Our local Greek companies have been abysmal in their response. Like, not even reading the damn thing. Nothing new there. But then things looked a little more promising with a small English producer and a Danish one. They read our synopsis and agreed to have a look at the treatment. Eventually, they both passed. But not for a reason I have experienced before. They were both enthusiastic about the treatment. The English producer called it near-perfect (to my amusement, as I have a lot of things I want to improve). They both went to great length in giving a response. And they both passed on the project because they felt it was too big for them. They were afraid they couldn't handle this type of film as it deserved. We should approach a bigger player - and they delivered the contacts for that. So now the treatment is being read by two major European production companies. And we are moving into a league where neither of us, the director and I, have set foot before. But I feel ready. More than ready.