Picking up the torch from groundbreaking animated anthology series like MTV's Liquid Television, Nickelodeon's What a Cartoon!, or Netflix's Love, Death, & Robots, Drawn & Quartered is going to be Tongal's showcase of original animated shorts from around the world. In advance of the roll out, we're looking for an animator who can create a bold opening title card and a handful of brief interstitials that can play between each animated short.
For decades, anthology showcases like Liquid Television, What a Cartoon!, or Love, Death, & Robots have introduced audiences to new voices, experimental styles, and filmmakers that would go on to shape the future of animation. The diversity of artistry and storytelling that these programs fostered is nearly unparalleled; Liquid Television gave us both the avant-garde stylings of Æon Flux and the irreverant shenanigans of Beavis and Butt-Head, while What a Cartoon!'s shorts simultaneously introduced us to the kinetic visuals of Gennady Tartakovsky and the comic genius of Seth McFarlane. With Drawn & Quartered, we're creating a program that will premiere 4 different original animated shorts on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, all wrapped up in an single episode, and we'll be looking for the next generation of unforgettable creator-owned animated worlds. Importantly though, we need someone to shape the framework that will exist around those animated shorts.
The goal of this project is to create a memorable animated title card, no more than :04 long, along with a dozen different short interstitials that will play between the animated shorts, each also only :02-:04. The title card will be used with each "episode" of Drawn & Quartered, and since we're anticipating that each episode will showcase four different original animated shorts, then we'll include three interstitials within each episode, mixing and matching as new episodes premiere. All of this will premiere on Tongal's social channels.
For the content here, we're open to any style and format of animation: that means we're open to 2D and 3D, or stop-motion, pixel art, mixed media, hand-drawn, motion graphics, puppetry, and any other experimental format, as long as your approach works within the practical confines of timeline and budget. Tonally, we want something big, bold, colorful, unexpected, probably a little weird, and definitely celebratory. You're not the star of the show here, you're more like the trumpet fanfare guy: still flamboyant, still making a splash, but not the actual star of the show. We're certainly open to light and comedic stuff, and something a little psychedelic or quirky could work, but anything overly serious or dark is probably going to feel off. The short themselves are likely to be a mixed bag, because we'll be open to any style, format, and genre for the shorts too.
The title card and the interstitials should feel as though they're part of the same program, and we certainly want them done in the same style (i.e. we wouldn't necessarily want 3D for some interstitials, and 2D for others). That said, we'd love some kind of variety in the subject matter, the type of visuals, the brief "narrative" elements, etc. Even if they were to use a similar color palette, the question will be: how do we accomplish that variety? We don't need any music or vocals, but we're certainly open to sound effects. No text is needed (apart from the title), but if you had a clever way of using text for the interstitials to make the audience chuckle, we'd be a little cautious (since that could make it hard to program the interstitials alongside other shorts), but we're certainly open to seeing it.
Ultimately, we're going to need both 16x9 or 9x16, but if you keep the key visuals centered in frame, that should make adaptation for each aspect ratio pretty easy.
FOR YOUR PITCH: We'd love to see a proof of concept for a title card, and the motivation there is that we really want to see something that can clearly illustrate both your style, your medium, and how you handle the actual animation and movement within it. If it's a complete title card, great, but since we're open to many mediums, like stop motion, that's not required.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are at least 26 total deliverables.
ANTICIPATED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: The Drawn & Quartered Showcase Series will be primarily shared on Tongal's YouTube Channel, but may also be played or promoted on our Instagram Channel. From there, it could go anywhere, depending on the interest of any studios, networks, streamers, publishers, brands, or other potential partners.
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.
OTHER ANIMATION SHOWCASES:
MTV's original Liquid Television ran from 1991 to 1995 and introduced audiences to new creators and new characters that would eventually grow into cultural landmarks, most famously Mike Judge, with Beavis & Butthead, and Peter Chung, with Æon Flux. Independent animators and artists were the driving force, and many of the shorts were only a minute or two long.
In 1995, What a Cartoon! premiered on The Cartoon Network as another animation anthology series, and many of its young creators produced segments that would go on to become major animation series, and ultimately shape the childhoods of millions. Craig McCracken made a splash with the first segments of The Powerpuff Girls, and Genndy Tartakovsky entered the scene with Dexter's Laboratory. Alongside them was Seth McFarlane's with his first short, Larry & Steve, and the premieres of Johnny Bravo and Courage the Cowardly Dog.
More recently, Netflix's Love, Death, & Robots has emerged as the premiere adult anthology series, bringing together dozens of the most visionary animators and studios from around the world to experiment with ideas unconstrained by a single style or story, and delivering high-end animation that spans multiple genres, including comedy, horror, science fiction, and fantasy.
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. 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(es) will be selected by Tongal, and the responsible creator(s) 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.