# Film Treatment > A director's treatment for pitching a short film or commercial, with the concept, a shot list, a shooting schedule, and a crew call sheet. Pre-filled with a trail-running brand film. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/film-treatment Category: Creative A director's treatment for pitching a short film or commercial, with the concept, a shot list, a shooting schedule, and a crew call sheet. Pre-filled with a trail-running brand film. ## What's included - Cover page with film title, director, and client - One-page concept describing the film's core idea - Shot list with frame numbers, duration, and description - Two-day shooting schedule with call times and locations - Colour-direction and delivery pages - Crew-call and permit checklist ## Sample content KESTREL FILMS Director's treatment Client · Halden Trail ### First Light A film for Halden Trail 30″ brand spot Treatment v2 · March 2026 Directed by**Mara Lindqvist** 02 — Mood & concept #### The world wakes up with her Kestrel Films First Light · Halden Trail It is 5 a.m. and the ridge is still dark. A lone runner moves through mist before the world has decided what kind of day this will be — and for three and a half minutes, she decides it for herself. **First Light** follows her from the cold, uncertain dark into the moment the sun clears the ridgeline: not a race, not a finish line, just the quiet proof that showing up before anyone asked you to is its own kind of strength. The film trades hype for stillness, letting breath, footfall and weather carry the story. FR. 01 FR. 02 FR. 03 FR. 04 ###### Ridge, pre-dawn Silhouette against moving fog. Establishes scale and solitude. ###### Forest road, aerial The only figure in a vast, waking landscape. ###### Cold breath, profile Effort made visible. The film's one close, held beat. ###### Stream crossing Texture and momentum — the film's kinetic centre. ##### Colour direction #0A1513 #16352E #3A6E63 #D9922F #F3EEE1 ##### Music direction Sparse piano and low tape hiss through the dark, swelling to a single sustained string as the light breaks — no percussion until the final five seconds. 03 — Shot list #### Twelve shots, 30 seconds Kestrel Films First Light · Halden Trail | | # | Frame | Lens | Movement | Dur. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------- | ---------------- | ---- | | | 01 | **Wide — ridge silhouette** Runner crests the ridge, mist rolling below | 35mm | Static, tripod | 3.0s | | | 02 | **Insert — laces** Hands cinch laces tight in low light | 85mm | Static, macro | 1.5s | | | 03 | **Low angle — first step** Foot pushes off loose gravel | 50mm | Handheld | 1.5s | | | 04 | **Tracking — ridge stride** Parallel drone track along the runner's line | 35mm | Drone, tracking | 3.0s | | | 05 | **Close — cold breath** Profile, breath condensing against teal sky | 85mm | Static | 2.0s | | | 06 | **Macro — stream crossing** Shoe lands mid-splash, water frozen in light | 100mm macro | Handheld | 2.5s | | | 07 | **Aerial — forest trail** Switchback trail through pine, runner small in frame | 24mm aerial | Drone, reveal | 4.0s | | | 08 | **Medium — emerging from mist** Runner resolves out of fog toward camera | 50mm | Slow push-in | 2.5s | | | 09 | **Close — eyes, focused** First light catches her eyes | 85mm | Static | 2.0s | | | 10 | **Wide — sunrise breaks** Sun clears the far ridge behind her | 24mm | Static, locked | 3.0s | | | 11 | **Tracking — full light** Gimbal tracks alongside, now in colour | 35mm | Gimbal, tracking | 2.5s | | | 12 | **Hero — logo reveal** Freeze on mid-stride, wordmark resolves | 50mm | Static | 2.5s | Total runtime 0:30.0 04 — Production schedule #### Two days, three weeks Kestrel Films First Light · Halden Trail ##### Day 1 — Ridge sunrise Exterior · Halden Ridge trailhead * 04:15 Crew call, gear check at basecamp * 04:45 Vehicle load, drive to trailhead * 05:10 Hike to summit position with talent * 05:40 Golden light window — Shots 01, 03, 04, 09, 10, 11 * 07:15 Light closes, wrap ridge, strike gear * 08:00 Breakfast, reset at basecamp * 10:00 B-roll — trail texture, gear detail * 13:00 Wrap Day 1 ##### Day 2 — Forest & stream Exterior · Lower pine forest & creek crossing * 05:30 Crew call at forest access road * 06:00 Drone prep, flight plan review * 06:30 Aerial passes — Shot 07, establishing * 08:00 Stream unit setup, safety check * 09:00 Stream & close work — Shots 02, 05, 06, 08 * 12:00 Pickups and safety blankets * 13:30 Wrap Day 2, strike all units ##### Pre-production → Shoot → Post-production Week 1 Treatment lock, location scout, casting Week 2 Callbacks, crew booking, permits filed Week 3 Shot list lock, tech scout, weather plan Apr 14–15 Principal photography, both units Week 4 Offline edit, selects review Week 5 Picture lock, colour grade, sound mix Week 6 Client review, final conform Delivery May 8, 2026 Master file, 3 cut-downs, and all source footage delivered via secure drive. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a film treatment? A film treatment is a short document a director writes to pitch how a film or commercial will look and feel before anyone shoots it. It covers the concept, the shot list, and the schedule, and it is the document a client approves before production starts. ### What should a film treatment include? Include the concept and tone, a shot list with frame numbers and descriptions, the shooting schedule and locations, colour direction, and the delivery format. This template has each section, pre-filled for a brand film shot over two days. ### How long is a film treatment? Most run 5 to 15 pages, depending on how big the production is. A simple brand film fits on the shorter end; a multi-location commercial needs more pages for the schedule and shot list. ### Is this film treatment template free? Yes. You can customize the film treatment template for free and download it as a print-ready PDF. Describe your concept, shots, and schedule to the AI and it fills in every section. ## Related reading - [How to make a storyboard for video](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-make-a-storyboard) - [How to design a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-design-a-professional-pdf) - [What "client-ready" means for a client deliverable PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/client-deliverable-pdf-client-ready) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=film-treatment) — free, no credit card required.