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.