Writers Tricks of the Trade May-June 2015 | Page 25

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WHAT IS A SYNOPSIS, AND HOW TO
WRITE ONE THAT GETS RESULTS
©CHRISTINE CONRADT 2015

WHAT IS A SYNOPSIS?
A synopsis is a more detailed version of a logline and is characterized by its length.
For example, a producer may ask for a one-paragraph synopsis, half-page synopsis,
one-pager, or two page synopsis. One paragraph and one-pager tend to be the
most common, but it is wise to have one of each ready to go for each of your
completed screenplays.
Think the back of a book jacket. It contains the same important information as the
logline but gives more details so that the reader gets a better sense of the
characters, inciting incident, and reversal.

CHRISTINE CONRADT
SCREENWRITER
ONLINE WEBINARS

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TREATMENT AND A SYNOPSIS?
The definitions aren’t cut and dry, but typically, a treatment is what you write
BEFORE you write the screenplay. It’s a prose guide that tells the story and its
organization aligns with the script. For example, if you h ]