Writing the synopsis

The recommendation I've always been given is no longer than 3 paragraphs. But other people will vary, and it also depends on what's requested, but generally under 250 words. If they want it longer than that, they usually ask for a treatment. Don't ask me how to write a treatment though, because I haven't the foggiest. I've seen vastly conflicting examples of a treatment.

What I personally do is write out bullet points. Main plot points and character points in story order to keep my synopsis concise and on point. Then I flesh it out and make it more interesting.

Anything between half a page and two pages is fine. Just hit all the major plot points of your screenplay.

I'd suggest trying to avoid ever sending someone a synopsis... all that it can really do is throw up one more roadblock before someone reads your script.

A pitch, on the other hand, can be a very useful exercise. Three to six pages, single spaced. Imagine you're writing something you would read in a producer's office to get him interested in the project. The good news about writing a pitch is that you're thinking about how to sell your screenplay, which means that even if you never actually send it to anybody you will have considered how marketable your project really is.

Yeah, going over 2 pages is useless. A synopsis is easier to write when you know what the usuals structure for a story is (you know, introduction, the thing that creates a problem, what they do to solve it, how they solve it, conclusion). Identify all of those in your mind, and summarize them in 2-3 sentences.

Depends on the use of your synopsis. If it's for a query letter, then you may want the mini-synop. I usually go for a tight paragraph after the logline. I've had better luck with keeping it concise and getting reads. If it's not for a query, please disregard.

Best,
Vel

Also depends on the length of your film. If it's a 5 minutes film, a page is more than enough.

Oh -- and by the way -- plural of synopsis is synopses (pronounced synopsees).

NMS

icerose said:

The recommendation I've always been given is no longer than 3 paragraphs. But other people will vary, and it also depends on what's requested, but generally under 250 words. If they want it longer than that, they usually ask for a treatment. Don't ask me how to write a treatment though, because I haven't the foggiest. I've seen vastly conflicting examples of a treatment.

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Treatments are covered in this video. You might want to lower your speakers a bit - he's a lousy public speaker, but his synopses are spot on.

As to the query letter synopsis I do 6 lines, 8 at worst. You can post these in SYW and get feedback along with your logline. Hey Derek, we should do treatments in SYW!

What I personally do is write out bullet points. Main plot points and character points in story order to keep my synopsis concise and on point. Then I flesh it out and make it more interesting.

Click to expand...

Good idea. I do a beat sheet, and I've taken to starting with Character Arcs External and Internal.