Using provided voiceover and scripts, create two different pieces of social content for CBS News that help educate viewers about the upcoming 2024 US Presidential election, including information about the major candidates' positions on key issues, and how the Electoral College determines who will ultimately win the election.
The 2024 US Presidential election will be held on Tuesday, November 5th, and to help voters better understand both the election process itself, and where the major candidates stand on important issues, CBS News is looking two create two pieces of social content: one that breaks down the candidates' positions on five key issues, and another that explains the Electoral College and its critical role in determining who will ultimately win the election. CBS News will be providing a script for the content about key issues, along with a voiceover track for the Electoral College content, so they just need to bring the messaging to life.
The goal of this project will be to create either a video or a carousel of static images for the key issues content, depending on what ultimately works best, along with a separate short video about the Electoral College. When it comes to execution, we are looking for creative and eye-catching ways to make these important topics engaging to young adults on social media. The content will ultimately be posted on CBS News' Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X accounts, and while the posts should be tonally in-line with the established CBS News brand look and feel, they should also creatively "break the mold" by leveraging social-first trends, techniques, motion text, and transition styles, etc. that you would organically come across on your For You page. Any supporting imagery you might need - including images of the candidates - will be provided by CBS News.
For the messaging about candidates' positions, it's obviously important that we take a non-partisan stance in presenting everything (e.g. don't give primacy to one candidate's position over another or use font weights/colors/styling to suggest bias). We'll be addressing abortion, climate, taxes, immigration, and foreign policy (with an eye towards NATO and the war in Gaza), all of which are complicated topics, so how you handle text will be key here, and we anticipate that the cleanest way to present the information will likely be through a carousel with multiple static images. That said, if you feel video works best, CBS News is open to it.
For the Electoral College content, the voiceover script being provided will be no longer than a minute, and we expect the video behind it to be primarily based in motion graphics. The key thing here is that we are looking for a clever way to animate the Electoral College process while making the information clear and easy to understand for viewers. The visuals in your video should closely mirror what's being said in the voiceover. Depending on your creative approach, you may choose to include motion text and captions, but that's NOT required.
Both posts - whether video or static - should be stylistically cohesive. We'll be looking for two aspect ratios, but they can each feature the same content, so you can repurpose and reframe what you create. Also, while the Electoral College process is prescribed in the US Constitution and extremely unlikely to change before November, the candidates' positions themselves may shift and evolve over the next few months, so we are looking for a creator who is nimble and can adapt to changes, should they arise at some point.
For your pitch, CBS News would like to see a sample Electoral College video, so please create one roughly :15 video (9x16) that illustrates the information below. Full scripts will be provided to the selected filmmaker. You do NOT need to include scratch VO in your sample video (we are mainly looking for your visual approach), but if it's helpful to your process, you can include scratch VO.
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DELIVERABLES: There are four total 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 it is NOT limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Young adults in the United States, ages 18-35
TONE/FEEL: Informative, engaging, creative, eye-catching
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
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.
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PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor on the elements below. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until an element is approved.
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.
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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 three music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound. 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 choose to 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.