Join us as we explore the world of commercial storytelling through the eyes of Arran Igoe, a master at translating concepts into compelling narratives. As Arran brings his perspective to the creative process, we delve into his approach for writing treatments, the impact of director’s involvement, and what sets a standout treatment apart.
Agnieszka Celej: How do you approach crafting a treatment for a commercial? Can you walk me through the process?
Arran Igoe: I’ll usually get an availability request a day or two before a job so the turnaround is generally pretty fast. The production company will send me the agency script / boards and ideally a recording of the agency call too, and that’s usually enough to make a pretty good start with the writing.
How things progress from there really depends on the nature of the job. Sometimes I get asked to write on something because the director’s just not available at all. Other times it’s more a case of writing support, and the director will already have their vision for the project but needs a little help developing the idea or finding the right language to bring it to life in words.
Either way, I’ll generally dive in and start to ‘feel out’ the project by writing down some initial thoughts on the subject matter, product, the key points of the approach etc. It’s rare that this will be the final form of the treatment, but I often find the best way to get something clear in my head is to simply just start writing.
While you can definitely write something ‘passable’ on the first attempt, the first pass is almost always an exploratory thing and it’s not until 2 or 3 drafts in that you get something that feels exceptional – and for high end TV commercials a treatment *must* be exceptional, that’s the point.
It’s also probably worth talking about director involvement and feedback here too as this can often play a big role in how a treatment turns out. Sometimes I’m asked to write in place of a director when they’re just not around, but if they’ve been able to at least think about the concept and what they want to say, this is generally fine.
Where it *can* be a problem is when you get absolutely no input at all – so you really only have the agency script to go on and the response will generally by necessity end up feeling a bit generic and non committal (which I think is one of the worst things a treatment can be). A good treatment has a really clear direction, and offers at least an evolution on the agency script and some thought from the director.
How has working with some of the biggest advertising agencies and renowned directors influenced your approach to writing treatments?
I’ve been doing this for a long time and as a career (rather than as a step to becoming a director like many treatment writers and researchers) so I’m generally very lucky in terms of who I get to work with and what I’ve been able to learn. I think that writing, like many aspects of production, is one of those things you gradually absorb over the years as opposed to something you just sit down one day and do.
Before I was writing treatments I worked in production, in house at Pulse Films and before that in TV. Importantly, I got to work with many of the directors I’d later write for, so it was a natural fit in terms of understanding who they are, how they communicate, what they look for in their work, how they approach a project and so on – which was obviously something I’ve the carried forward into my own work too!
One of the other great things about doing this so long has been seeing first time directors / new talent evolve over the years and end up doing really incredible work. Again, I think that’s one of the great things about this industry in general: that everyone’s constantly growing and evolving, the more you do in this industry, the more there is that feeds your creativity, and that’s huge. I could never do anything that felt like standing still!
Treatment excerpt | Arran Igoe
What makes the treatment stand out and resonate with viewers?
While there’s lots of technical stuff a treatment needs to communicate, I think the most important thing is actually how the director comes across – analogous to the way people might judge someone in a face to face interview, focusing not only on what they say, but how they say it, how they come across as a person, whether they seem confident or not in what they’re proposing, whether they seem to know their stuff!
Clarity of approach is everything and I can often tell a winning treatment as I’m writing it, because not only is there a great idea in there, it’s presented with such clarity in terms of how its been thought through, how it’s taken the original agency script somewhere completely new and unexpected, how the director’s brought it all to life visually in terms of the scenes they’re proposing and why.
I think you need to have an ear for a directors’ voice too – so you’re able to quickly get a sense of their personality from the agency call or brief – and be able to write conversationally in that voice in a way that feels very ‘readable’. A treatment has to be a pleasure to read. It needs to be ‘easy’ to read. It doesn’t matter if it’s 1000 words or 6000, if it’s readable and exhilarating, it’ll get the attention of the agency/client, and you’re much more likely to get your point across.
I don’t think there’s any magic formula for ‘the perfect treatment’ as every job is different. I’ve no formula I use when I’m writing. Just a lot being able to read between the lines in terms of what a client’s probably expecting, and being able to give them what they want in the most nuanced way possible. Being confident in what you say, but also knowing just how to say it in order to get them excited.
One big pitfall I often run into is producer’s trying to play by some perceived set of rules that aren’t really there. ‘You need to name check the product in the intro’, ‘that sentence is too long’, ‘we need a section on diversity’ (when it’s already heavily implied in the script and adding a section will just make the whole thing feel a little ‘white people trying to tick boxes’ which I personally think is a bit icky in this particular industry in 2023 :s
Good writing needs no rules, if it does what it’s meant to be doing and achieves that well, it really doesn’t matter how it’s done. If it’s a high end luxury spot for Louis Vuitton talking about love, let the treatment be rich, poetic and meandering. If it’s an action packed chase sequence 30 for Porsche, let’s make it thrilling, punchy and packed with every kind of driving expletive we can muster, describing the rough, guttural growl of the engine or highlights drizzling over the silky smooth lines of the body. No one size fits all!
