Putting together a treatment can be tough. You spend days and weeks brainstorming an idea, but when you try and put it on paper it looks lame.
If you can’t communicate your brilliant idea in a brilliant way, you’ll lose the pitch and lose the client. This means less work and a dry bank account.
It may sound dumb, but finding amazing treatment images can make or break your pitch. If you can nail that image and communicate your brilliant idea, you can land more work.
When I’m putting together a treatment, I used to search google… and I always had to sort through the worst stock photos like these:
Over the past few years, I’ve put together treatments for 100+ projects, and I’ve learned how to find gorgeous images QUICK.
I’ve worked with image researchers (they’ve got their own secrets), and developed my own watering holes for reference images.
Here are my top 5 places to find reference images for treatments. These sites have helped me land 6-figures and work with brands like McDonald’s and Nissan.
Let’s dive in:
1.) Pinterest
Pinterest isn’t just for pie recipes and home diy projects. Some of my favorite DP’s have boards full of reference images on this platform. The key is searching for the right term.
I’ve found that going to the search box and typing in the type of content I want then adding ‘photography’ or ‘cinematography’ after gets me started.
After I start connecting with some images, the secret sauce is clicking on an image, then scrolling down and viewing the ‘more like this’ section.
Pinterest is great at curating similar images that connect with what you want.
2.) Behance
A classic place for creative references (maybe a little too common). I typically will perform a search and sort by photography. Behance also has a similar sort function.
When you click on a project, if you scroll down below, you’ll see recommendations with similar images.
3.) Shotdeck
This is the secret spot for industry professionals. You have to sign up and be approved for the beta. It includes tons of high-end stills from the best visual movies and TV shows. It’s search functionality is the best I’ve found, and the images are crystal clear.
There are other ‘screengrab’ sights, but this one definitely takes the cake as the best.
4.) Pexels
A free stock photo site… but it honestly has some great content. What I love about using Pexels, is you can find some great ‘advertising’ type shots on here. If I need a VERY specific shot, I cross my fingers and search Pexels.
There’s a lot of unique content, and some of it feels a little ‘stock’ – but the majority of images feel natural enough to use for reference!
5.) VSCO search
This is another resource I personally use to find more unique reference images. It doesn’t have the best search function, but I’ve definitely found images that feel fresh and human compared to most photo sites.
Images are 50% of the treatment (if not more). I hope this helps you find some great shots for your next treatment.
Do You Want My Winning Treatments?
Over the years, these sites have helped me land over 6-figures with brands like McDonalds and Nissan.
I’m only going to make these winning treatments available for 10 individuals.
Do you want these 6-figure winning treatments? Send an email to gofilmnow@gmail.com with the title “I WANT THE TREATMENTS” along with why they would help you.
PS – give me a follow on insta – let’s be buddies:
instagram.com/chrisaneal
Keep making stuff.
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