This is a film treatment, not an essay. NARRATIVE TREATMENT: This two page max document should read like a short story and be written in the third person, present tense. It should present the entire story including the ending. Do not write in screenplay form unless necessary to present key scenes and dialogue from the screenplay it is based on.
Make a plot outline. A plot outline consists of six parts: the set up, the inciting incident, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. A short film should have all of these elements. An example plot outline may look like:[4]
- Set up: This is where you outline the setting, the protagonist, and their conflict. For example, a young boy struggles to fit in at school and deal with an alcoholic father at home.
- Inciting incident: This is an event that changes the course of the protagonist’s life. For example, the young boy meets his new neighbor, an older boy who is a senior at his high school.
- Rising action: This is where you develop your characters and their relationships. For example, the two boys bond by hanging out in their neighborhood. They become best friends.
- Climax: This is the high point, where the most drama occurs. For example, the alcoholic father confronts the older boy, and they get in a physical fight.
- Falling action: This is where your protagonist deals with the climax. For example, the younger boy kills his father to save the older boy.
- Resolution: This is where your protagonist resolves their conflict and succeeds or fails in getting what they want. For example, the boys bury the father’s body and swear to tell no one what happened.