How To Write A Treatment

Nichols family's last hope lies in controversial, miracle treatment

There are a number of words that could be used to describe Myles Cook, but hopeless isn’t one of them. At only 16, the West Liberty High School student lives with a countdown ticking in the back of his mind and he believes his time is running out.

When Myles was just 6 years old, he began feeling tired. Long walks would wear him down and he became breathless a little quicker than the other kids.

“Lots of things led to the diagnosis,” said Myles’s mother, Glenda.

First, there were the blood tests.

“There’s an enzyme in your blood called creatine kinase,” explained Glenda. “It should be at around 200. Myles’s CK levels were at 20,000.”

Then there was DNA testing and a muscle biopsy, during which doctors removed part of Myles’s thigh muscle. After nine months, Myles was finally diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

DMD is the most common, and the most fatal, form of muscular dystrophy, affecting 1 in 3,500 male children. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it is a genetic disorder caused by the absence of dystrophin, a protein that keeps muscle cells intact. DMD affects the heart and lungs and children with DMD rapidly deteriorate. With a life expectancy of mid- to late-20s, Myles knows his clock is ticking.

“When I was about 10, it started getting harder to move around,” Myles remembered. “It was harder to go up steps, getting up off the floor, getting out of bed.”

In sixth grade, Myles went from walking to a wheel chair.

“I started falling and was short of breath. I got fatigued really easily,” he said.

At first, the wheelchair stayed at school and Myles used it to conserve energy. When he reached seventh grade, he depended on the chair more and more.

“I got a lot of questions from the other kids,” he said. “I can’t do much with my friends anymore.”

Myles is now nearly wheelchair-bound. He can still walk short distances, and he was even able to lift his foot over the lip of the shower last week. Though this is more than what most Duchenne kids can do at his age, Myles and Glenda still know what it means.

“This disease holds him prisoner. His friends can’t just come and pick him up and go to the mall. There are a lot of social barriers,” Glenda said. She said Myles’s disability defines him. “First people see the chair, then they see him. They question his intelligence. Plus, he’s a black kid with white parents.

SCREENWRITER ON LOCATION: How To Write A Screenplay Treatment

Generally speaking, a film's treatment is similar to that of an overview or synopsis of the film idea. It usually ranges from 8 to 15 pages and includes all the important conceptual elements, structured in 3-5 acts, each with a beginning, middle and end. When you submit your script, your treatment will often be the first document to be glanced over. If the main concept is enjoyable and your treatment is well written maybe, just maybe, your script will make it into the hands of the "professional script reader". This is an important element of screenwriting which you should know about. When you submit your script to producers, you will not be submitting your scripts to the major decision makers first. Your script will first have to pass through a filter that these large production companies have put in place.  A film treatment states how the audience will experience the film. It's important to write treatments in an active voice and avoid the use of hyperbole (such as "this unique film will explore" etc). When writing treatments you want your audience to be able to visualize your film. You will want to write in present tense and provide an overview of the characters, locations and details of the film. You can write your treatment creatively. The purpose of a treatment is to allow your audience to smell, taste and experience your environment. Reading a treatment (second only to reading a full script) is the closest written equivalent to the look of your film.

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