A TREATMENT is a brief version of your idea for initial consideration. The TREATMENT should be no longer than 300 words, and if the commissioning editor is interested they will ask for more.
The purpose of the TREATMENT is to give a clear and concise summary of your idea and how it will look on screen. You need to think about:
- Who would watch it?
- How will the programme be made: the visuals, the style, the format?
- Why should this programme be made now?
It can be really helpful to open your treatment with a quick SYNOPSIS. Most of the best shows on TV can be summed up in one or two sentences. A useful exercise is to think about how you would write the TV listing for your programme once it is made. Often those few sentences are all you have to encourage viewers to watch the programme - how would you 'sell' the programme to the British viewing public? Try to aim for a SYNOPSIS of 40 words or less… the kind of summary you’d read in The Radio Times.