Produce an authentic, emotionally resonant video that showcases the struggles and triumphs of one young individual's search for emotional health in a digital age.
It's no secret that that almost everyone in today's world struggles to discern what a healthy amount of screen time is, and this is even more true for today's teenagers, who've never known a world without smart phones and the endless supply of dopamine-triggering content that makes it easy to distract oneself from problems. That's why The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-Day Saints wants to produce an emotional health awareness video that focuses on one teen's experience, highlighting how screen time and phone usage directly correlates with their mental health struggles.
The goal of this project is to create two different 4-5 minute videos that showcase a teenager (girl between 14-18) who is willing to share their authentic story about the struggle to stay mentally healthy every day, and how they've fallen into bad coping habits with phones and screen usage. Mentally healthy can mean many things, and The Church is open to hearing your talent's unique stories, but generally we're looking to find stories that have to do with how they struggle with social interactions within their community. From there, the video should then explain (through the teen's unique perspective) how faith can help rejuvenate the spirit and guide us to a healthier outlook. The two videos will share the same message and structure, and they will essentially be two versions of the same story: in one version, the video will need to follow an approved script, which will be developed in Pre-Production; in the other, the talent will be able to authentically share their story using more of their own words. The second version should allow you to capture more natural performances and some unexpected and organic moments with the talent.
Creatively, the Church is open to any style of filmmaking here, so while this could look like a straight to camera vlog (see this example video), this could also be animated, or be produced to look more like a documentary. The Church wants this to be an engaging and electric video for the youth, so your creativity and personal vision are truly welcome! Beyond that, casting will be key here, and it should be your foremost concern. You will also need location and wardrobe approval before heading into production, so given the tight timeline the more of these details you can include in your pitch, the better!
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 2 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 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: Youth audiences (ages 14-25)
TONE/FEEL: Engaging, authentic, energetic
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.
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE: Below is a video that the Church has created as an overall guide, and with a similar length. Note that this does not necessarily represent the style or format that you should use, as you're welcome to take more creative approaches.
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.
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 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.
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 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.