Read 'What’s the difference between a screenplay synopsis and a screenplay treatment' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I got this question recently:

“I’m a little confused. Say you have the Hollywood Creative Directory and have only the fax and address of a given company. Do you fax the query and treatment or just the query by itself? And if you use use snail mail, do you send the query and treatment? What is the difference between a treatment and synopsis?”

Typically a treatment is a much longer and more detailed description of the screenplay than a synopsis. Treatments are often written before the script is written as a guide for the screenwriter and producer so that the screenwriter doesn’t waste time writing a draft that the producer isn’t going to like. In fact many paid writing assignments have a payment schedule which includes the treatment as a step towards the first draft. I’m a big proponent of outlining your story before turning it into a screenplay, but there really isn’t a good reason to write up a formal treatment if you’re writing your screenplay on spec.

Typically a synopsis will be a less than one page summation of your screenplay’s story. I usually try and include a short synopsis (like less than half a page) of my story in my query letters. In some cases if you submit just a logline in your query letter you will get someone asking for a short synopsis and in other cases you might find an assistant who reads your script and likes it and then wants a synopsis from you to pass along to their superior. I also include synopses of all my scripts on my screenwriter website so if a producer is checking out my site they can get a good feel for which projects might be right for them. I also feel like a short synopsis really helps you boil your story down and decide what’s important, so it can be a very helpful tool in trying to do re-writes, too.

There really is no exact definition or specific requirements (that I’ve ever heard) that defines what a treatment is or what a synopsis is, but that’s the gist of it.

Now to answer your specific question about what to include with your query letters… I would include a short synopsis with your query letter no matter how you make your submission (fax, snail mail, or email). If it means sending two pages via mail or two pages via fax that’s fine. But if you can be very precise and pack your synopsis into your query and keep it all on one page that’s even better.

Check out my post Writing a synopsis for your screenplay if you have any questions about how to write your synopsis.

Read 'Will you read my screenplay treatment' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I got this questions recently:

“As someone who’s not in the screenwriting business but thinks he has a “great” idea for a movie screenplay, I was wondering if you’d be willing to read my treatment for a movie I’ve had swimming around my head for 15 years?

The treatment is 10 pages long but what I’m really looking for is someone to give me realistic guidance on its mass audience appeal.

I’m not a famous writer or even work in the movie/entertainment industry. I’m just a regular working guy with visions (perhaps delusional) of this movie and need to know if it’s worth getting my hopes up.

Please let me know if you’re willing to spend 20 minutes reading it.”

I’d rather not read people’s work. It would be very time consuming and I’m not sure how much value people would really get out of it. Check out this post, too. It explains some of my thoughts on reading people’s scripts: http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/screenwriting-faq/will-you-read-my-script/

I recommend Script Doctor Eric for this type of service. He will charge you a reasonable fee but give you exactly what you want. http://www.scriptdoctoreric.com.

From your email, however, I think you’re on the wrong track. There is a famous quote, maybe Tennessee Williams, that goes something like this; “Don’t write a play, write plays.” Without knowing you or reading your work I can tell you, you are NOT “delusional” just unrealistic. There is no single idea or story that will singlehandedly make a screenwriting career. If screenwriting is something you want to pursue than pursue it but realize it’s going to be a lot of work for no pay for a lot of years while you figure out how to write a compelling script. Me reading your treatment, or not, isn’t going to change that. You’re going to have to put in the work. There is no getting around this, no matter how much God given talent you have or how lucky you’ve been in coming up with a brilliant idea. Tiger Woods didn’t show up ready to play on the PGA tour after playing one or two summers of golf. He devoted his life to it for years, and mixed with a heap of talent he’s succeeded at the highest level.

If you’re idea is compelling to you, I can assure you it will be compelling to others as well. But even if it’s not, if you spend 6 months or a year writing it up it’s still well worth the time and effort because you need to get a few scripts under your belt before you’ll be able to write something that’s good enough to sell. There is no shame in this. Any successful screenwriter will tell you how much drek they had to write before they wrote anything worth selling.

As a rule I would say be prepared to write at least 10 scripts before writing a “good” one. If you continue to read and study other scripts, learn from your own writing, each script you write will get better and better and by the 10th one you’ll probably have something that’s pretty good.

Good luck!

Read 'Selling a screenplay pitch or treatment' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I’ve never sold a screenplay treatment or pitch so I may not be the best person to ask about this.  While I know this does happen it’s usually established writers who make these sorts of sales because the only people buying pitches and treatments are established producers and studio executives – and they’ll usually only meet with established writers.

Think about this from the producer’s standpoint.  When a producer buys a pitch or treatment they’re taking a great risk which is something they’re very unlikely to do with a beginning writer.  If they buy a pitch from a writer they’ve still got to get it turned into a good script, which is really hard.  At least if they buy a pitch or treatment from an established writer they already know he can write so there’s at least a reasonable chance that he can turn his idea into a well written script.  This is not a risk that most producers would take on an unknown writer.  And if I were a producer I wouldn’t either.  And neither would you.

Beginning writers tend to overvalue their ideas.  They sometimes think that they have brilliant ideas when they usually don’t never do.  A good screenplay needs good ideas, or course, but even more important than a few good ideas is good execution.  Coming up with a few good idea isn’t the hard part, it’s weaving them all together into a great script that’s tough.  Producers understand this.  So if you’re a new writer do yourself a favor and spend the time writing the script.  If you want to write a treatment first, then go ahead, but then turn that treatment into a full screenplay.

You should read this post, too, Should I send a query letter to an agent or producer for a script that I haven’t written yet?, because it covers some of the same ground.