Scriptment

Description

A written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standard draft treatment. Some films have been shot using only a scriptment. In a script a screenwriter or playwright lays out their vision and provides the film director, film sound designers and film actors with a roadmap for a film production.

A scriptment is a term often used in the film and television industry to describe a document that falls somewhere between a script and a treatment. It combines elements of both, providing more detail than a traditional treatment but not as much as a full script.

A treatment synopsis is a concise prose summary of a screenplay or television script, outlining the key elements such as the film plot, film characters and major scenes of a film. On the other hand, a script is a more detailed document that includes dialogue, scene directions and other specific elements needed for production of film. It can serve as a middle-ground document that allows film script writers to explore the narrative in more depth while still retaining some flexibility before committing to a full script. The term is not as standardized as film treatment or movie script, and its usage may vary depending on the context and the preferences of the script writer or filmmaker.

A scriptment borrows characteristics from both a regular screenplay and a film treatment and is comparable to a step outline: the main text body is similar to an elaborate draft treatment, while usually only major sequences of film receive scene location headings which is different from the extensive slug line formatting in standard screenplays.

In a scriptment, movie scenes and film shots may be separated as paragraphs or sentences and, if it is the writer's style, can also include an occasional explanatory note, such as might be important in an adaptation or a film sequel. As with standard treatments, much of the dialogue is summarized in action. The longer the scriptment, however, the more likely it contains dialog scenes that are fully developed. Single words or brief phrases of dialogue can be included within the description and lengthier exchanges are formatted exactly as a regular movie screenplay, which is the main reason for the script part of the term.