We are looking for multiple filmmaking teams to conduct one-day shoots featuring Grand Canyon University students and alumni who live in a variety of cities across the United States. You will be tasked with all aspects of physical production, including but not limited to location, set design, wardrobe styling, props (as needed), and hair and make-up (HMU). You will be working in coordination with a campaign director who will supply storyboards and creative guidance for the shoot, as well as handle all post-production. It is important to recognize that GCU and its students work toward their degrees within the parameters of a Christian worldview and possess a sacred vocation mindset, so these faith-based values should be reflected in all aspects of production.
Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona that is dedicated to helping students change their lives for the better through education. They offer a wide range of degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that students can earn on campus or online. With a focus on integrating faith and learning, GCU provides a supportive community for students seeking a values-based education with a Christian worldview.
Grand Canyon University wants to spotlight the experiences of five of its top students and alumni, showcasing GCU’s pivotal role in their higher education journey while helping them discover and pursue their sacred vocations. As these students and alumni are spread across the U.S., and may be filmed within the same production window, we'll need several different production teams to accomplish this, while still ensuring that all of the content feels coherent and consistent with the larger campaign objectives.
GCU has already brought on a campaign director to oversee the creative development for the new campaign; for this project, we're looking for up to three teams who can handle local physical production. Raw footage from these shoots will be provided to the campaign director, who will then handle ALL post-production and delivery. Details about the students and alumni and their specific locations will be provided to the pitch winners, but general information is shown below:
Please note that the shoot dates are still being confirmed and are subject to change based on the individual's availability – these are real people, managing busy lives. It is likely that you will need to conduct a one-day video shoot and conduct a tech scout prior to the shoot itself.
You are NOT being asked to pitch a creative direction as the goal is to align seamlessly with the format established by GCU and the campaign director. We have outlined this approach in the Background section below, including the need for a stand-alone social shoot to capture some tailor-made 9x16 footage. With that in mind, we will be prioritizing filmmaking teams that have a proven ability to manage and direct real people in a docu-style or testimonial setting.
Once selected, you will work closely with the campaign director throughout pre-production and production. The campaign director will provide creative and technical pre-production guides as well as storyboards and shot lists to follow when shooting. You will be responsible for locations, wardrobe styling, set design, any featured props (as needed), and all talent HMU. Our assumption is that each shoot will involve two locations: a residence and a place of work. That will ultimately depend on the person, his/her story, and what type of b-roll is needed.
The campaign director (and, potentially, GCU brand or creative teams) will be joining your shoot remotely to provide real-time feedback during production, ensuring everything is aligned with their vision. There may also be local GCU or Tongal representatives on set, in-person. GCU may have its own photographer on set; you will need to keep this in mind for the shot list, as well as the shoot schedules. After the shoot, you will be asked to send proxy files to the campaign director digitally, as well as ship a hard drive to them with all raw footage and photos. You will not be responsible for any video or photo post-production services.
Please note that you do NOT need to be based in any of the students' or alumni's locations to pitch on this project. However, there is no additional travel budget available, and any crew travel or lodging should be covered under the specified production budget. In the pitch materials, you MUST introduce the individuals who will be working on this project. We have broken down more details about the process, as well as some budgeting assumptions, below. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
IF YOU ARE SELECTED:
FOR YOUR PITCH: Your pitch should primarily highlight:
DELIVERABLES: Digital or physical delivery of all proxy files, hard drive delivery of all raw footage.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE & RIGHTS: We expect content will be used on the platforms below but, if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they are cast. Content may NOT be 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: Positive and energetic; modern; confident and welcoming
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects on our platform do move forward, we will 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 the project team.
BUDGETING ASSUMPTIONS:
To be considered, please 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. 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(es) will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator(s) will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing the 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: Before 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.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must also provide all raw footage and signed releases for talent, location, and artwork (if needed) to the campaign director to receive final payment. You are responsible for the costs associated with the hard drive and shipping.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.