If you've spent any time on the Tongal platform, you know that our Project Briefs are where all the magic happens. Each Project Brief contains all the information creators need to inspire and channel their best work. The main goal of the Project Brief is to spark your imagination AND provide you with all the details you need to create the strongest submissions possible.
That said, there is A LOT going on in the Project Brief. If you're new to Tongal, it may even be a bit overwhelming to sort through all the information. Here, we aim to break it all down and help you navigate the Brief so you can quickly know what you need to know!
At-a-glance Section
Just below the project image, you’ll find important high-level details such as project funding, age or location restrictions (if applicable), a countdown clock for submission deadlines and announcements, and which platform(s) you’ll be creating for. Some of these details may determine your eligibility, so be sure to review before diving into the full brief. Pro Tip: If you’d like to see a quick breakdown of the project funding and the number of available greenlights, hover over ‘View Funding’ just below the project funding total. If the project is 'Open Bid' You can also ‘Follow’ the project from this section, which means you’ll receive notifications from the project forums and email reminders of important dates. The ‘View Assets’ button takes you down to the assets tab to see if the Sponsor has provided any specific assets for you to work with.
Project Timeline
Each brief includes a visual timeline located directly below the at-a-glance section. The current phase is highlighted in blue, with upcoming and past phases in gray. It’s important to be aware of this timeline as you plan your submission so that you can use your time wisely and understand the time commitment required to participate. Keep in mind that every phase, unless otherwise stated in the brief, closes at 12pm noon PT and the countdown clock that appears on briefs shows times in your local timezone.
Synopsis
Think of this as the project’s logline, summarizing the creative ask and final deliverables in one to two sentences, i.e. “Produce a :10 or :15 short animated video that cleverly brings the SYFY logo to life." If after reading this section you feeling kind of ‘meh,’ click back to the 'Current Projects' page and find something that’s more your speed.
Objectives
Here, we’ll lay out the main details of the project, from the key marketing message to the final deliverables – everything you need to know to craft a submission and understand the Sponsor’s expectations. If the brief includes ‘Executional Mandatories,’ pay special attention as they indicate certain requirements and must-haves outlined by the Sponsor and be sure to address them in your submission.
Background/Additional Details
This section provides additional details about the project that may include more information about the Sponsor, why they’re keen on developing this project, along with creative references and thought-starters to fire up your creative engines.
Submission Requirements
In this section, we’ll outline what’s required, and optional, for submission.
Payment & Project Requirements
The nitty-gritty on how to receive payment if your submission is selected, necessary pre-production approvals, a guide to our free music partners, and specs for final delivery.
Project Rules
These are the specific terms and conditions related to the project. In addition to this section, we encourage you to read through Tongal’s Official Rules to understand the governing rules of our platform. For all Tongal Projects, the Official Rules state that you must be at least 13 years of age or older and reside in a country with no U.S. export control restrictions and/or sanctions to participate. In some cases, the project rules in the brief may override what’s in the Official Rules. Before you get too invested in a Project, you ought to make sure that you are eligible to participate.
Assets
Depending on the scope of the project, this section may include a detailed project timeline and payment schedule as well as additional resources and assets the Sponsor has provided to either guide or incorporate into your submission.
By now, you should have a good grasp on how to effectively read and understand Tongal Project Briefs! For more information on navigating the Tongal website and best practices for participating in our Projects, jump over to the Tongal 101 tutorial or leave a question for us below in the comments. Happy Tongaling!
