Produce a full series of short live-action YouTube videos that showcase the different free services that Advance Auto Parts provides for customers in their stores.
If you've ever been on the road and realized that your windshield wipers were worn and kinda useless, or saw your battery dashboard light come on at just the wrong moment, then you understand how important it is to have a local auto retailer that can help you out in a pinch, and get you back on the road quickly. Most drivers already know that Advance Auto Parts is the place to go when shopping for auto parts, but they might not realize that Advance stores also provide a wide range of free services, like wiper blade installation or engine code scanning, where team members will help you diagnose an issue or install a product purchased in-store, so you can quickly get back on the road. The Advance team now wants to create a series about those services for YouTube and their other social channels.
The goal of this project then is to create seven different live-action YouTube videos, each roughly :30, as part of a series that will showcase the range of free services Advance Auto Parts offers their customers nationwide. The first six videos of this series will each cover a different service, and you can read more about in these in the Background, but the final video will be a general overview video about all the free services offered. These are simple services that are designed to help customers get back on the road, like changing your windshield wipers, testing a battery, or recycling some oil, so each video and its messaging should be fairly straightforward, explaining the process and the ease of each service.
Critically, these videos will need to include a customer, an Advance team member, and some kind of vehicle. Both the customer and the Advance team member will need to be talent that you cast, but Advance will work with you to source an approved storefront location. The actor that you cast as the Advance team member does not need to be a mechanic by any means, but they should preferably be someone with knowledge about car maintenance, and that feels comfortable performing the free services. Advance will provide information about the general procedures that should be followed when performing each service on camera, and they will provide thorough safety guidelines. Generally speaking, talent should also be diverse, so if you should plan to have multiple different actors that can represent the Advance Team Members and the customers across all the videos. The team member will be required to wear the Advance team member shirt and a nametag, which Advance will provide, but your budget must include the team member's pants, shoes, and belt, as well as wardrobe for anyone else shown in the videos.
Videos should feel like they take place outside of an Advance Auto Parts store. A store location near you may be provided for one day of filming, but we would also like to see approaches that present alternative options, so consider how you might use another location, with some production design, to create something that looks like an actual Advance Auto Parts storefront, interior, or exterior. All AAP stores are located in the US, and while we are open to international pitches, there will be no additional budget available for travel. To find a location near you, use their store locator to help determine the best possible location option. Advance will have to approve the location during pre-production and can arrange for you to use the store for production.
Your videos should also feature actual products associated with each free service (e.g. a wiper blade), and those will be provided by Advance. Otherwise, know that the series will require cutdowns that can live on Advance's social channels like Instagram and Facebook, and you should consider how you can ensure that each cutdown feels tailor-made for the different platform - rather than being simple reframes.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 28 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:
TONE/FEEL: Confident but approachable, informative yet playful, exciting, trustworthy, reliable,
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.
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.