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Lecture 2:Lecture 2:Your TreatmentYour Treatment

Professor Christopher Bradley

The Women (1939)

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Previous LessonPrevious Lesson

Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Written by Kimberly Pierce and Andrew Bienen

• How Do I Find Inspiration?

• The Writing Process

• Creating a Logline

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In This LessonIn This Lesson• Building Your Treatment

The Money Pit (1986) Written by David Giler

Lesson 2: Part I

The TreatmentThe Treatment

• Think of the Treatment as a short story. You already know the beginning, the middle and the end. Now it’s time to fill in the rest!

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The Step OutlineThe Step Outline

• Sometimes called a “Beat Sheet”• Before you write your treatment, you will

want to break your story down into beats or steps.

• Most screenplays have between 35 and 45 beats

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The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)• Using the Structure Guide I have emailed

you, look at what events need to happen in each portion of the story.

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The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)

• First, you will go through your story and list each of the events as they happen.

• If you get to the end and you only have 10 story events, you’ll probably need to expand your story as you likely don’t have enough story for a 110-page screenplay. The guide will help you do this.

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The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)

• Create your story elements (loosely) around these guideposts.1. The Backstory

2. The Opening Hook

3. The Ordinary World

4. The Risk or The Inciting Incident

5. The Mini Crisis

6. The First Act Break

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The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)

6. The New World, with new rules

7. The formation of teams

8. (Don’t forget the Subplots!)

9. The setting of the “ticking clock” (if applicable)

10. The cementing of the love story

11. The Major Test of the Protagonist (Failure!)

12. The Midpoint, or False Resolution

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The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)

13. The first major loss

14. The second major loss

15. The third, and worst, major loss (The Big Pit)

16. The Climax

17. The Resolution (tying up any unresolved subplots)

The Step Outline (Cont.)The Step Outline (Cont.)

• Once you have 35 to 45 steps or events, look to see how they fall in the story. Have you created Act 1 very thoroughly, but the events are sketchier in Act 2? It will become clear where you need to flesh out your story! Make sure you do so before starting your treatment!

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Now write it out!Now write it out!

• Once you have the basic guideposts that your story has to hit in its journey from beginning to end, you’re ready to tell your story in prose form!

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Give Yourself Room!Give Yourself Room!

• A first draft is meant to be the time when you lay out your ideas in rough form. A first draft is generally messy and repetitive and full of mistakes--and that's just fine! Get the basic story and characters down. You have a general idea of how the beginning, middle and end will fit together. The story will likely grow and change.

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Re-WritingRe-Writing

• As you re-write, imagine telling the story to someone else. Does everything make sense? Do your characters’ actions make sense given who they are?

• Is your Opening Hook compelling? Does it leave your reader needing desperately to know what happens next?

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Re-Writing (Cont.)Re-Writing (Cont.)

• Are you subplots complete? Does the story make sense? Is your description vivid, but spare? Does the story have a strong build? Is the climax of Act 1 gripping? Is the climax of the story itself powerful and satisfying?

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Back to your LoglineBack to your Logline

• Now that you have your treatment, do you need to re-state your logline? Has it changed?

• If so, make the necessary adjustments.

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Note on the Structure GuideNote on the Structure Guide

• The Screenplay Structure Guide should be thought of as just that– a guide. Don’t let it restrict you, but do let it guide you.

• For instance, the Screenplay Structure Guide says that by about page 4, it should be clear what you’re story is about. If you’re on page 25 and it’s still not clear what your story is about, you may have a problem!

EditingEditing

• Before you turn in your treatment, carefully examine it for errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. This is college-level work.

• Spell-check will catch a lot, but not everything.

• Pay attention to Grammar Check, too! Your dialog can be colloquial, but not your action and description!

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Professor Bradley’s Professor Bradley’s Grammar Pet Peeves!Grammar Pet Peeves!

• APOSTROPHE USE! Apostrophes are only for TWO THINGS:

– Showing possession (Bill’s hat)– Indicating missing letters (“Cannot”

reduced to “can’t”, “do not” reduced to “don’t”

• Apostrophes are NOT used for PLURALS. (Two cats stole my cat’s toy.)

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Professor Bradley’s Professor Bradley’s Grammar Pet Peeves!Grammar Pet Peeves!

• QUOTATION MARKS! Quotation marks mean your quoting! They are not used for accentuation! They are not interchangeable with italics!

– Thank you for showing us your “lovely” home.

– Come try our “chicken” sandwich!

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Professor Bradley’s Professor Bradley’s Grammar Pet Peeves (Cont.)Grammar Pet Peeves (Cont.)

• Your (possession) and You’re (Short for “you are”). The apostrophe indicates missing letters! You’re at your own party.

• There (place) their (possession) and they’re (short for “they are”). They’re going there for their honeymoon.

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A Final Point on ProcessA Final Point on Process

• Keep your standards high! But know that writing is a process of re-writing and refining.

• Think of writing as sculpture. You continually refine your drafts to create your masterpiece.

• To be successful with your writing, you must stick with it! You’re in this for the long haul!

AssignmentsAssignments

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (2000) Screenplay by Jay Presson Allen,

based on the Novel by Muriel Spark

Lesson 2: Part II

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E-Board PostE-Board Post

• Post your Logline and your Treatment to the Eboard by 9 AM on the day of our next class.

FeedbackFeedback

• You will be giving constructive feedback to your fellow writers, and they will give constructive feedback to you.

• You don’t have to take your classmates’ feedback, but at the end of the course, you’ll need to cite examples of feedback that you either took or didn’t take, and say why. I need to see you’re taking the feedback you’re receiving seriously!

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End of Lecture 2End of Lecture 2

Next Lecture: Your Opening Hook!

Peter Pan (2003) Screenplay by P.J. Hogan and Michael Goldenberg

Based on the play and books by J.M. Barrie