Create a fresh and festive suite of social videos for Advance Auto Parts that bring a number of fall and winter-themed holiday concepts to life, while showcasing Advance's products in clever and playful ways.
*Open only U.S. and Canadian residents. You should plan to film part of your video at an Advance Auto Parts Store so please make sure there is one in your local area before submitting. Note that Advance may also be able to send you products, but you should plan to purchase products at your local store as part of your budget if they are to be featured in your videos.*
Pumpkin spice and sweater weather season is just around the corner, and as leaves change, so do your car's needs. In anticipation of the shifting temperatures, Advance Auto Parts has a plethora of seasonal products that will be available in-store and online, and they want your help getting the word out. Using some pre-determined concepts that are themed around Halloween, autumn, and the winter holidays, AAP is looking for one filmmaker/team to produce four main social videos to drive awareness and traffic to both their online and physical stores.
The goal of these videos is to create four different :30-:60 social forward live-action videos that stop the doom-scrolling and capture the viewers' attention to remind them to check their rides. Each of the four videos will tackle a unique and specific product or bundle that can be found at your local Advance Auto Parts, while also emphasizing or playing to different holidays or times of the year. We are looking for social-forward, light-hearted, relatable, and even humorous videos that emphasize the products and demonstrate how Advance is the place to go for all your auto part needs For these particular videos, Advance already came up with the main topics they would like to have you pitch your own creative take on and further develop, below:
Note that Advance may also be able to send you products, but you should plan to purchase products at your local store as part of your budget if they are to be featured in your videos.
In terms of format and execution, Advance is primarily looking for live-action concepts, but they are open to some animation or motion graphics. Knowing that the brand is looking for particularly savvy social content, "live-action" can include selfie-style, POV, or even green-screen formats that blend some live action with other visuals. This can be lo-fi smartphone-shot content, or more polished and professional. The Advance team has seen better engagement when concepts often center around friends or a dynamic duo that is looking to advance their cars together. In terms of the setup, your talent can be talking to each other in the video, it could be two friends FaceTiming, or the talent could also still potentially speak to camera, but whatever the approach, we want to make sure that the dialogue feels natural, relatable, and like they are talking with a friend.
These videos will appear on their Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube so you will need to film with both 16x9 and 9x16 in mind. You should also consider ways to blend dynamic motion graphics, lifestyle imagery, energetic editing, and strong messaging about product benefits to engage users across platforms, while not feeling too playful, as Advance would like to emphasize the quality and reliability that comes with their products.
Videos should take place or, at very least, feature at an Advance Auto Parts store at some point in the video. Advance will work with you to source an approved location. A store location near you may be provided for one day of filming, but we are also open to seeing approaches that present alternative options, so consider how you might use another location, with some production design, to create something that looks like an actual Advance Auto Parts storefront, interior, or exterior. All AAP stores are located in the US, and while we are open to pitches from Canada and Mexico, there will be no additional budget available for travel. To find a location near you, use their store locator to help determine the best possible location option. Advance will have to approve the location during pre-production and can arrange for you to use the store for production.
Vehicles do not need to be present on screen, but they can be included if it helps support your overall concepts and must be approved by Advance in pre-pro. If your approach does include a customer or Advance team member on camera, they'll need to be talent that you cast. Any "team members" will be required to wear the Advance team member shirt and a nametag, which Advance will also provide, but your budget must include the team member's pants, shoes, and belt, as well as wardrobe for anyone else shown in the videos.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 8 total video assets.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, as we CANNOT guarantee that usage is limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
TONE/FEEL: Playful, Fun, Seasonal
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: You may not use AI generated visual or audio assets in your final content. However, for the purposes of your pitch and pre-production materials, you are welcome to use generative AI to create visuals, storyboards, animatics, proofs-of-concept, etc. that might help the Sponsor understand your vision for creating the final content. Additionally, assistive AI tools (e.g. object removal, compositing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitling, etc.) may be used in post-production to supplement your workflow. Please keep record of any AI usage deployed in your submissions in the event that the Sponsor requests AI disclosures. If you have questions about any specific usage or tool, please ask your Tongal producer.
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors. Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include a budget with your submission.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot - before or after the Pitch Phase. Backlot includes search tools to help you find collaborators and crew by role, skill set, location, and more, for productions of any size and type. Tongal also supports inclusivity in all productions, and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find additional options for staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.
The most compelling pitch will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing next steps. All submitters will also receive an automated email notification that a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed.
Creators who’ve been selected will receive funding upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment. Payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal, typically included with the project timeline.
PRE-PRODUCTION BIBLE & APPROVALS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST prepare a singular pre-production "bible" document with the elements contained below, and that document MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor. We recommend that you use the bible template we provide HERE, or something very similar. The bible can be presented in stages as different elements are ready for review (i.e. it's not expected that storyboards, if required, are ready with your first draft). Apart from the below, you're also welcome to include other key items that you think would be helpful to communicate your plan (e.g. moodboards, lighting, music, shot list, etc.).
Note that there may be multiple rounds of feedback until elements are approved, and if you begin production before you have received final approval, you may need to reshoot or reanimate at your own expense.
For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.
REVISION REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: Once Content has been submitted and the initial Production Phase completed, greenlit creators will enter into Revisions. Creators will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the Sponsor's feedback. Check out our Filmmaker Resource Portal to access helpful post-production resources like Text-Safe Guides for different platforms, Project File Organization Tutorial, Export Presets, and Captioning services.
MUSIC: If you use music from a library for your content, you MUST use one of Tongal's music providers: Universal Production Music, PrimalHouse, or Slipstream. Music from these providers is available to registered Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into submissions to this project, and will not require a Music Release Form. To learn more, click on any of the providers' names above.
If you use original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. Please ensure your composer reviews and signs this form BEFORE beginning their work.
STOCK FOOTAGE: Tongal has partnered with the stock footage library Storyblocks, which can be used to source video clips, photography, and After Effects templates for your video submission to this project. Video or photo content from Storyblocks is available at no charge, solely for incorporation into submissions on this project, and will not require a separate Release Form. If identifiable people or intellectual property appears in a video clip or photo, you may only utilize assets that are clearly marked “Model released: Yes” or “Property release: Yes” on the clip description pages. You may NOT use any audio.
If you intend to use Storyblocks, inform your Tongal producer, and an account will be created for you to access the library. Once assets are approved for delivery, you must provide a complete list of all Storyblocks content that you used via our template HERE.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec in order to submit final payment. You are responsible for any costs associated with the hard drive and shipping. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.