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How about realistic project expectations instead of the surreal assignments that I currently see on Tongal?

Posted by Elusionary Media

06/08/2015

Comments (9)

General

This topic is about asking Tongal to create realistic expectations for both brands that use Tongal and the creatives that use this site.
I don't want to spend hours to explain myself so I will make it short and to the point.

For the Tongal project "producers", it is necessary that you understand the reality of actually producing a video. I am sure that the brands that hire you are expecting a certain level of quality, but if you don't make sure their demands are realistic, they will not get that quality and in turn blame you for it. It is your job to make them understand that there are things those brands cannot ask from the creatives.

Here are a couple of examples in projects I have looked at recently:
-You cannot ask a big financial commitment from a creative who has no return on investment expectations from this website. The Direct TV documentary was asking creatives to shoot pitch videos on RED Epic or equivalent. Not only that would means tens of thousands of dollars of investment but it is in now way technically necessary.
-Second example, the current Lyft video campaign. You cannot ask that a video be produced in two days. It takes time to organize a quality shoot, to edit and deliver the media.

It is your job as organizers to make sure that what the brands ask for is possible, and that means having a slight knowledge of what producing actually demands. Right now it doesn't seem to be the case.

If you don't, then you will get crappy submissions and the brands will blame you for the poor quality of submissions. You will drive away both the brands who don't feel they get their money's worth and the creatives who realize how ridiculous your demands are.

Comments (9)

Kyle Elliott

06/09/2015

Almost all the top creatives I met at the Tongies this year shoot on RED. While it might not seem "Fair" to other people who are just as talented behind a camera, a lot of the heavy hitters in the community are pitching for every project and shooting on RED's. So, that one isn't a stretch. You didn't need to shoot the pitch in 4K, and if selected, they'd have given $3,000 to invest in renting a RED to shoot the 8 minute Sizzle reel (where you're 1 on 1 with another production company to win a $41,000 contract) A lot of the people here are already established production companies, with tens of thousands of dollars invested in their businesses. The owners have said something like this many a time, "We ask the community to do the impossible. Time and time again they not only achieve the impossible, they go above and beyond all our expectations" I don't know what "Realistic Expectations" is, because every time a ridiculous idea is written that we think "There's no way someone can pull something like that off in such a short amount of time" they go right ahead prove us wrong.

Kyle Elliott

06/09/2015

I also don't own a RED, and don't have a production crew or my own studio like most of the production leaderboard. That's why I stick to what I'm capable of and continue to work my ass off on this site and other, smaller video contest sites where I can be successful. I throw whatever amount of money I earn in the bank and keep saving up, so one day I may actually be able to afford a high end camera and be able to give these brands what they really want. They're paying A LOT of money for professional work, things you can't get from a DSLR or even most Professional Camcorders. Of course, they have other projects that are geared towards anyone on any budget. The Direct TV project and the Twilight Project do not fit into that category. The Lyft video, however, does. If you read through the brief, they were paying up to $50 for your Lyft ride, so you could literally grab a Go-Pro or DSLR , find a stranger, shoot a quick 30 second video while driving around the block, get out, and have a chance to win some money. Tongal is sending a montage of winning videos to a separate video contest, thus why they have the quick turn around time.

Kyle Elliott

06/09/2015

Also, Lyft isn't putting up the prize money for that project, Tongal is. A lot of the videos submitted end up being private until they're shown by the brands themselves, but if you've watched some of the winning commercials for projects that started a month ago, you'll see what type of quality they can get from a lot of production companies on a tight deadline. Check out the behind the scenes videos some of the successful people on this site posted, and you'll see the studios and equipment they have to work with. Remember that, most likely, those are the people you're competing against. So, while a DSLR can certainly get the job done, there are always going to be a dozen proven production companies with a RED and an Idea gunning for the exact same projects. Impossible isn't really a word around here. Of course clients are going to want ridiculous things. They're investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in strangers, not knowing what the final product is going to look like until it's delivered to their doorstep. If they wanted a conventional commercial, they've got production teams to do that. They want the impossible, and that's what Tongal will give them.

Van Voorhis Productions

06/18/2015

I hear your frustration trying to compete with some of the bigger producers on the site, they'll have better equipment and professional teams. But I think Kyle hit the nail on the head. The DirectTV & Twilight projects aren't for homevideo producers over a weekend, they need studio quality results. Tongal knew the lyft project was a short time frame, they said that, and they still got entries and could make their pitch to lyft. I think thats what makes this site so cool to me is the variety of types of projects, and seeing these heavy hitters gives me goals and something to aspire to. In the meantime go for the little fish until you can grow. but by no means would I ever think Tongal should do LESS projects. bring on the challenges, quick projects, big projects, whatever! The community is always able to pull something together!

Kyle Elliott

06/18/2015

I think it's the whole "Big Fish in a Small Pond" type deal that happens when you first find out about Tongal. I know I submitted a pretty horrible wildcard video in my first project. I was used to winning video contests just because I shot something creative on a DSLR instead of a cell phone video begging for the prize. It's easy to be successful against weaker competition. This isn't a crowd full of cell phone videographers though, Tongal is the Major Leagues. I learned that on day 1. There's a reason why they have $1,081,250 up for grabs, and it's because the sponsors trust Tongal and this community to give them exactly what they want. Sometimes they want something simple like a 30-60 second story about your life shot in front of a white background. Other times they want a Tornado filled with Landshark and you've got 3 days to provide proof you can make that happen. The "Realistic Expectation" I have as a Tongaler is that there are dozens of other people with more time, money, and resources to put into a project than I have. I focus on the smaller stuff on other websites while I wait for projects on Tongal that fit my needs and abilities.

Brenda Stanley

06/18/2015

I have been trying really hard at these challenges but seem to be getting nowhere. Any suggestions for improvement. I know that the competion is good. I am on the verge of sitting it out for a while.

Kyle Elliott

06/18/2015

I see you have 57 ideation points, meaning 57 submissions that were judged on the site so far. I've been on the site since January of 2014, and somehow been reasonably successful. Doing the math, only 1 out of every 56 ideas I've submitted have actually won anything. So, 1.8% of my submissions have been selected, and that number goes lower if we talk about things that have actually been turned into a commercial or used. That's a whole lot of 140-500 character ideas, several page business plans, musical lyrics, and naming projects. Make sure you ideas are concise and to the point, easily understandable, and follow all the points the sponsor is looking for (or frequently, not looking for) It's important to always read the entire brief and make sure you're giving the sponsor what they want. People have won contests by literally repeating what's in the brief before. Often times what I write and win with get turned into something completely different by production companies. It's all about inspiring the people in the next phase of the competition by giving a general idea to the brand and fellow users on Tongal. The key to success is to just keep writing!

Caleb Goodnight

10/10/2015

Honestly, from the budget's I've seen on Tongal so far, people should be able to rent whatever camera is needed-it's just a matter of the producer putting themselves in a position to do so. Especially given the camera landscape nowadays, it is often way more effective to rent specifically to a job rather than marry yourself to one option. Keep in mind, I'm talking about highly creative projects like the ones on Tongal. Obviously owning a camera is better in the long run if you do a lot of one type of thing.

Kyle Elliott

10/12/2015

They've only had a few projects where 4K was mandatory, and the budgets on those were a lot larger than the others. Most of the complaints are about imaginary situations that never occurred, like being selected for a project and having it cost more in time/money than the budget was. If there aren't enough pitches/something the brand wants to move forward with, they'll usually repost it and extend deadlines. If that doesn't happen, it means someone was able to achieve the "ridiculous demands" and give the brand something they really want. If they weren't doing their job, these major brands wouldn't keep coming back to Tongal for more content.