MEDIA INFO. LIT. - VIDEO TREATMENT & STORY BOARD

WHAT IS A VIDEO TREATMENT?

u  consists of a written condensation of a proposed film or TV dramatic production

u  written in the present tense, using active language and often read like a short story

u  covers the basic ideas and issues of the production as well as the main characters, locations, and story angles

u  covers the full story sequence, typically contains some key scenes.

TREATMENT EXAMPLE (McDonald’s TV Commercial)
A Commercial Treatment by John Mastromonaco

“Chain Reaction” is all about how one simple moment can spark a continuous, natural series of events. When we open the spot, we’re mid-stride, a woman on her way to work as she crosses the street. It’s morning, it’s a nice day—we’re right in stride with her.

A simple camera move or cut reveals to us what she sees—in the stopped car she passes at the red light, the passenger is eating an Egg McMuffin. For just a moment, we move in slowly—now we see the Egg McMuffin in its wrapper, familiar golden arches unmistakable.

Now we know it’s morning. Then when we cut back to the woman, she’s at a subway platform, enjoying her Egg McMuffin as the subway pulls into the station. So with a few simple shots—we’ve started our Chain Reaction.

From there, our job is to let our continuing series of vignettes unfold as effortlessly and as simply as that. As the subway pulls into the station, we see a teenager who is inside, he sees the woman eating, enjoying her Egg McMuffin.

When we cut back to the teenager, we’ve shifted time and place again with minimal intrusion. Our teenager’s now stepping off the elevator inside a large, modern building—and he’s enjoying his Egg McMuffin. Cut to well-dressed businessman who sees the teenager steeping off the elevator.

When we next see him (businessman) he is sitting in a beautiful European garden on a bench, eating an Egg McMuffin. In turn, the gardener notices the businessman then—chain reaction. The next time we see the gardener he’s selling fresh flowers with one hand, holding an Egg McMuffin in the other. And so it goes.

WHAT IS A STORYBOARD?

u  A storyboard is a graphic representation of how your video will unfold, shot by shot.

u  Think of it as sort of a comic book version of your script.

STORYBOARD FOR A SHOE ADVERTISEMENT

Why are treatment and storyboard important in film making?

•       Best way to share your vision

•       Makes production much easier

•       Saves you time.

Acknowledgement to owner.