National Geographic is looking for Editors to create a highly visual and dynamic proof-of-concept video for a short digital series about fascinating world cultural traditions.

National Geographic is famous for its anthropological work, and with your help, they’re looking to shine a spotlight on a series of unique and amazing traditions from around the globe. The first step was sourcing some of those traditions, and you might have already noticed this previous project, but now they’re actually looking for editors & filmmakers to help them develop a proof-of-concept video that can establish a repeatable format, and lay the foundation for a digital series. They need something highly visual and dynamic for their social platforms – something will bring their audience along on a journey of cultural exploration and discovery, and illustrate all of the fascinating aspects of these traditions. 

Once National Geographic feels confident that they have a platform for their digital video series, the intention is that the Editor behind the best proof-of-concept video would move forward into the actual digital video series, serving as the lead editor and working with filmmakers from around the world who’d source original footage for each tradition. 

To help keep your proof-of-concept videos focused, National Geographic has selected four traditions below, and they’d like you to select ONE to use as the basis of your video. You may use any existing or stock footage that you have access to, since they’re only looking for a proof-of-concept, and you’re welcome to craft the narrative however you wish, presenting whatever facts you think are relevant and interesting. Since there may be limitations to what footage is available for these traditions, you can select based on what you think has the most existing content to work with.   

• Tradition A: Nestinarstvo in the Strandzha Mountains of Bulgaria – A barefoot ritual fire dance that’s performed atop smoldering embers, this is an ancient Bulgarian tradition about transcending one's soul and finding the flow – a mix of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and older pagan traditions. There are only a handful of people left in the Strandzha Mountains who have mastered this rare and beautiful mystic art.
• Tradition B: La Diablada and the Devils from Píllaro, Ecuador– Every January, hundreds of Ecuadorian indigenous people wearing devil costumes take over the streets of Píllaro, singing and dancing for six days in a unique festival and parade that started as a form of protest against the Spanish church, hundreds of years ago. Legend holds that anyone who wears their costume at the event 6 years in a row will have good luck.
• Tradition C: Sechseläuten and the Burning Snowmen of Switzerland – Once the first spring flowers begin to bloom, the people of Zürich mark the end of the dark days with a festival to celebrate the summer ahead, building up to the moment when they set fire to the Böögg, a snowman prepared with firecrackers and explosives. The burning of the Böögg is a popular 16th century tradition that’s still carried on today, and now the time between the lighting of the snowman and when it explodes signifies whether the summer will be warm and sunny, or cold and rainy. 
• Tradition D: The Transgender festival of Koovagam, in Tamil Nadu, India – For 18 days in April and May, the city of Koovagam in Tamil Nadu, India plays host to the largest festival for transgender individuals and transgender identity, commemorating a legend from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharatatheir, and honoring their patron deity Aravan by marrying him in the temple. Colorful and joyous, aravanis and hijrahs, the transgendered individuals of India, come from all over the country, many finding the celebration one of their only chances to be married.

Do a little research, check these out, and then take a look at more in the details below…

The goal of this project is to create a visual and dynamic 60 to 90-second proof-of-concept video that will establish a repeatable format for a National Geographic digital series about fascinating cultural traditions. These proof-of-concept videos can be assembled using any existing or stock footage that you have access to, as they are not intended for public deployment. Each proof-of-concept video should explore only ONE of the cultural traditions provided above. Since you are making a template, it is not important which cultural tradition you select, and you may select a tradition based solely on your ability to find footage that works with your intended proof-of-concept video.

NOTE: Three (3) editor submissions will be selected by National Geographic, and National Geographic will use those submissions to determine whether and how it will move forward with the digital video series. They will also use the Proof-of-Concept videos to determine if one of the three winning Editors will be selected to edit the digital video series. In order to be considered for the series, you must first submit a 60 to 90-second proof-of-concept video in this project. Please make sure your video complies with the Creative Direction outlined here. 

--Creative Direction: The expectation is that these videos will rely heavily on flashy graphics and text, and the proof-of-concept needs to flesh out what that looks like, how we handle pacing and transitions, how we tell our story, and generally just establish a template that any cultural tradition can be plugged into. Since you will not be able to film any new footage for the proof-of-concept video, you are encouraged to make use of any existing or stock footage to tell the story that you want to tell about the cultural tradition that you select, even if some of the footage you use isn’t directly related to the cultural tradition. National Geographic is open to any format, and you should think about what would be ideal for the series, where we’ll be able to have filmmakers shoot original footage for future videos. 

Your proof of concept should obviously have a distinctly social feel, which means you’ll drive the video with text, rather than VO or audio, and optimize with Facebook’s best practices in mind – although they’d like to maintain the 16:9 aspect ratio for the proof-of-concept video.

--Assets: National Geographic partners with the following libraries for stock footage and stock photos Getty Images, Shutterstock, and NHNZ Moving Images. As you will NOT be delivering a completed video for public deployment, you will not need to actually purchase any stock assets, and instead you may deliver watermarked footage with your proof-of-concept video submission. You are also NOT limited to these libraries – they are simply offered as a potentially helpful resource. 

Select National Geographic graphic and text assets are also available HERE for inclusion in your submission. Note that brand style guide should be used as a reference, and not a mandate.

--Key Takeaways: Audiences should come away feeling inspired to be creative, whether to write a song, create a recipe, or design a fashion line. We want them to feel like people all over the world share so much in common, and prompt them to want to know more about this person, place, custom, and incorporate some element of that commonality into their lives. To think: I’ve heard about this, but never seen it this way.

--Target Audience: The “armchair explorer” and their social circle. They are stimulated by news and culture, keeping up to date with world events and what’s topping the cultural zeitgeist. They have a perspective on most things, often shaped by what they read, see and experience. They tend to be creative, either in practice or in their thinking, capable of putting to use their vivid imaginations in work, hobbies, and conversations. They’re social consciousness tends to make them more empathetic humans, highly moved by both the wonder and beauty in the world as well as the tragedy.

--Tone: Imaginative, intriguing, inspirational, provocative, thought-provoking, awe-inspiring; though in all that, not necessarily super serious.

--Exposure: Facebook is the primary platform for these videos, and the potential series should have a distinctly social feel as a result, although they will live on other platforms Please review these Facebook Best Practices:

• Design tight stories that answer the questions: “What is it?” “Why would the audience care?” and “Why would the audience share?”  Usually these are the three answers…
  • “Oh that’s so me” – the video is relatable.
  • This video made the viewer feel something, and they want to share the emotional gift.
  • Resonates with a belief of the viewer.  This video explains it better than they could.
• The first few seconds are the most important so consider leading with a hook, or telling your story in a non-linear manner.The introduction to the video is critical, and slow builds do not work in the Facebook platform. You might also consider using a "Trailer" approach with 2-3 lines of copy up front to frame/present the video.
• Storytelling needs to be driven by visuals so you should be able to convey the important parts of the story without relying on sound at all. Tell visually engaging stories, and try to give your video a constant rhythm. Use text graphics, new frames, characters and settings to move the story forward. It is recommended that something visual happens every 3-5 seconds.
• Review your edits on a mobile device.  You really need to do this because 90% or more of the audience will be viewing your video on their phone.

This project will be a worth a total of $1,500 and will consist of one Phase: a Video Phase. Please be sure to read the following information carefully as well as the Official Rules.

PHASE 1: VIDEO PHASE – All Editors & Creators are invited to submit a Proof-of-Concept Video based one of the Cultural Traditions, and using any existing or stock footage to demonstrate that your video can function as a template for the potential digital video series. Submissions should include:

• Text (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less synopsizing your approach to executing these videos.

• Cultural Tradition (REQUIRED): Select which of the four cultural traditions your video is based on. 

• Links (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, cinematography, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual videos.

• Proof-of-Concept Video (REQUIRED): This is your actual 60 to 90-second proof-of-concept Video submission, with any watermarked stock video or image assets included, with music and SFX. You will not have revisions on this submission before National Geographic makes a selection. 

Three (3) of the most compelling Proof-of-Concept Videos will be selected by National Geographic, and each will receive $500. 

All Proof-of-Concept Videos will remain private until after the winners of the Video Phase are announced and the Project is complete. 

National Geographic will determine whether to move forward with a digital series based on the Proof-of-Concept Video, and ultimately if that filmmaker will be selected to edit the digital series.  

--Music: Tongal has partnered with three premiere music providers: Jingle Punks, Killer Tracks and Epidemic Sound, any of which can be used to source music for your Video submission to this Project. 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 separate Music Release Form. To learn more about using each of these music providers, click on any of the provider’s names above. 

If you are selected as a winner and choose to use custom/original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. If you obtain music from third-party catalog providers, you must purchase the appropriate license at your own expense and submit it with your license purchase receipt when you turn in your Video paperwork.

1. The Video MUST not exceed 60 seconds in length. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 16x9. Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should you be selected as winner, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.

2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.

3. In the event you utilize any third party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.

4. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL.  FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.

5. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.

6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.

7. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.

8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.

9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.

10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.

11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.

12. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Video based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.

13. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.

14. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, winning Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their winning Videos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your award.

15. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.