Q&A: Can film producers create their own films by selling off a treatment, rather than writing a script?

Question by asher j: Can film producers create their own films by selling off a treatment, rather than writing a script?
I’m just wondering if you can sell a movie idea as a treatment, and then work with a screenwriter after it is sold to produce the film. I was told that nowadays that most movie ideas are now sold as treatments and then bought as scripts.

Best answer:

Answer by JS
It is true that some deals are made based on treatments. However, treatments are not just ideas for movies. They are detailed outlines of what the movies will be including complete character breakdowns, plot description, etc. (for example, Peter Jackson’s treatment for Lord of the Rings was something like 90 pages long). Usually, treatments are written by writers, not producers. Producers often also make deals with studios/production companies based on the options they have on existing material (books, graphic novels, articles, etc.), with writers coming onboard after the deal is made.

More often than not, non-established people will have to have completed scripts for consideration.

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