Produce a short stop-motion video full of playfulness and wonder to celebrate some upcoming Barnes & Noble store openings, while simultaneously highlighting Barnes & Noble's unique partnership with The LEGO Group.
With several brand new brick and mortar store openings on the horizon for 2026, Barnes & Noble has a big year ahead, and they're teaming up with The LEGO Group to create a short stop-motion video that can generate excitement for the store openings, and encourage people to check out all the fun LEGO sets that are available in Barnes & Noble stores. There will be multiple stores opening around the country, and there are no specific sets tied to any of these openings, so LEGO wants like to create a single video that can work in any market, for any store, rather than creating unique videos for each store. That kind of general approach allows for a ton of flexibility, and LEGO is wide open for creative ideas, as long as they bring a sense of playfulness, and are still achievable with an early April delivery.
The goal here is to create a single :30 stop motion animated video, playful and full of wonder, and to use that video to promote local store openings in different markets across the country, while making it clear how LEGO fits into the Barnes & Noble experience. LEGO wants the stop motion animation to reflect and encompass the entire store experience, so however you go about things, you should plan to incorporate areas like the café, the games section, and the toy section (with a robust LEGO presence, of course), alongside all of the areas devoted to books, and they'd also specifically love for you to include a kids section, a gifts section (like journals), and vinyl records section.
In terms of concept and execution, as we said, there are a lot of directions that you could take this, and they want something that can really surprise and delight, but it'd probably help to capture the joy of reading. The LEGO Group and Barnes & Noble are open to on screen text, titles, or messaging, if you feel like they can be incorporated in clever ways, but you should not include any dialogue, and there's no requirement for messaging, nor any need to specify a location, and there are no specific LEGO sets that you'd need to feature. The video will need to conclude with an end card that says "Coming Soon" with the Barnes & Noble logo, but that's about it.
While the main format is 16x9, you will need to consider framing of shots to work in both 9x16 and 1x1 environments as well. Tongal will reimburse you for reasonable brick purchases necessary for filming, separate from the production budget.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 3 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: Fans of The LEGO Group of all ages, families, and Barnes & Noble customers
TONE/FEEL: Fun, happy, positive
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.
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.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot. 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.
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.
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.