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Synopsis?
- Thread starter bird
- Start date
My suggestion would be to toss aside any formal definition of "synopsis" and focus on selling the screenplay in those paragraphs. This would probably be in anecdotal format for most cases. Some screenwriters like to refer to other films (as in "BLADE RUNNER meets BATTLE OF THE ROSES in a tale of a 24th century clone marriage"). I'd make the synopsis jump out and grab the reader in the first three sentences.
If you can bird, try and pick up a copy of The Screenwriter's Bible. In there you have all kinds of advice about how to write a formal synopsis and how to write a query letter (pretty much what filmscheduling is talking about).
Some producers might request a synopsis before reading a script, so don't neglect the synopsis altogether.
Poke
Some producers might request a synopsis before reading a script, so don't neglect the synopsis altogether.
Poke
Synopsis is not the same as a one or two sentence logline. It is not meant to be a cliche'. It's also not meant to be a complete 10-15 treatment. A synopsis should be engaging by covering the main theme and feel of the story, intro the protagonist and some of their conflict as well as the setting.
It should be a narrative movie teaser.
Saying that Speed is Die-Hard on a Bus is a log-line. It's meant to grasp the imagination quickly and generate a mental impression. But, it says nothing of the story.
But, saying that...
"Officer Jack Traven is a young hotshot explosives expert in the LAPD. He and his partner, Harry arrive to save a dozen people trapped in a high-rise elevator by a madman, who will plunge the hostages to their deaths if his demands are not met.
Thinking quickly, Jack and Harry attach a roofcrane cable to the elevator car. And not a moment too soon, as the bomber decides to cut his losses and detonates the bomb to cut the heavy cables. They manage to free the victims just before the elevator plummets.
But for Jack Traven, things are just getting warmed up. Howard Payne, a retired bomb expert himself, was counting on the ransom to fund his later years. In revenge, he has a new plan. He calls Jack and tells him a city bus is packed with explosives. Once the bus reaches 50 mph, it cannot go slower or the bomb will obliterate the passengers aboard. He wants his 3 million and Jack had better hurry. the bus is about to enter morning rush hour traffic..."
You can make the story engaging (hopefully better than I illustrated) and not concern yourself with scene by scene breakdowns. My current rate would have probably meant this synopsis would have been about 4 pages, but more often you'll find producers/agents asking for only 1-2 page.
A treatment provides much more detail and often snippets of dialog, similar to writing a short story, it's meant to fully realize the elements and themes of the story as well as flesh out the main characters more.
JC
It should be a narrative movie teaser.
Saying that Speed is Die-Hard on a Bus is a log-line. It's meant to grasp the imagination quickly and generate a mental impression. But, it says nothing of the story.
But, saying that...
"Officer Jack Traven is a young hotshot explosives expert in the LAPD. He and his partner, Harry arrive to save a dozen people trapped in a high-rise elevator by a madman, who will plunge the hostages to their deaths if his demands are not met.
Thinking quickly, Jack and Harry attach a roofcrane cable to the elevator car. And not a moment too soon, as the bomber decides to cut his losses and detonates the bomb to cut the heavy cables. They manage to free the victims just before the elevator plummets.
But for Jack Traven, things are just getting warmed up. Howard Payne, a retired bomb expert himself, was counting on the ransom to fund his later years. In revenge, he has a new plan. He calls Jack and tells him a city bus is packed with explosives. Once the bus reaches 50 mph, it cannot go slower or the bomb will obliterate the passengers aboard. He wants his 3 million and Jack had better hurry. the bus is about to enter morning rush hour traffic..."
You can make the story engaging (hopefully better than I illustrated) and not concern yourself with scene by scene breakdowns. My current rate would have probably meant this synopsis would have been about 4 pages, but more often you'll find producers/agents asking for only 1-2 page.
A treatment provides much more detail and often snippets of dialog, similar to writing a short story, it's meant to fully realize the elements and themes of the story as well as flesh out the main characters more.
JC