How to Write an Executive Summary for a Screenplay

An executive summary is written for a bust executive who does not have time to review a longer document. In terms of a screenplay, an executive summary whittles the information about a film project down to a few pages and helps sell the project. Here are some helpful steps for writing one regardless of who is doing the writing and presentation to attract investors to a script.

Instructions

1. Identify themes and major plot events. Turn part of an executive summary into a display of how the film's premise can be made attractive to audiences and even commercialized. This is one area where investors will want to see some specifics.

2. Show how the specific project interacts with its industry background. Besides its own selling points, detail how the film would fit into the ongoing chronological trends and line-up that is so much a part of the film business.

3. Describe the players. Show the names of writers, people involved in promoting the project and any casting information you may have that would be helpful to investors.

4. Detail the possible funding for parts of the project and how available funding may be used. It can be helpful in some cases to focus on the greatest challenges of a project and illustrate how they could be supported with creative purchasing or special deals.

5. Include contingency planning. Beyond just showing the strengths of a project, a comprehensive executive summary also (if briefly) addresses possible risk and how the project might be salvaged in the event of any foreseeable (or unforeseeable) problems.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the executive summary focused toward its readers. Any deviation from the direction you've laid out can hurt the overall impact of the document.