Outline, Synopsis, or Treatment

Both an outline, synopsis, and treatment are different elements from the pre-production process, however entirely different. An outline is often the first thing written about an idea, and it includes key plot points, story and character arc, and a breakdown of the major beats of each scene. The outline generally changes over time because often times characters take different routes than originally intended. The outline is the most similar to a treatment, however the latter is more in depth and resembles a short story version of the script. It's written in present tense and requires an active voice to give more details into the characters and story. The final confused document, a synopsis, is often shown to producers and it's basically a paragraph or page description of the overall premise of your film or show.