Screenwriting Neil Workshops Outlines and Treatments Like so many terms in the film and TV industries, 'Outline' and 'Treatment' are used loosely and tend to mean different things to different people. There are no hard and fast rules and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, but roughly speaking, for most people an outline is the shorter and less detailed of the two. Outline 2 - 5 pages, broad strokes story + elements of plot. Treatment Typically 10 - 30 pages, a prose telling of the story that includes all the twists and turns of the plot. Some writers (particularly writer/directors) include key dialogue and specify crucial camera shots - but steer clear of this if you're a novice. As with a synopsis, both outline and treatment are usually written in the present tense as this gives tension and a sense of immediacy to the narrative. But as you'll see from the outline for Innocent, sometimes, due to the nature of the story, it makes sense to use the past tense too. Innocent by Chris Lang and Matt Arlidge Terminator by James Cameron homepage