Help Kleenex® create an informative and inspirational video, with cutdowns, that highlights their partnership with DonorsChoose, and their mission to help underfunded classrooms around the country during this back-to-school season.
Kleenex® has been people's go-to facial tissue since the 1920's, and they've transformed the tissue's place in our world: from something used episodically - like when you have the flu - to being a relevant, every day item for families. In fact, during the back-to-school season, families actually list facial tissues as the second most frequently needed back-to-school item. The Kleenex® connection to schools extends beyond facial tissues though: for the past 4 years, they've partnered with DonorsChoose, a non-profit that enables anyone to connect with and provide financial support to distressed schools and classrooms around the country. During every back-to-school season, Kleenex teams up with DonorsChoose, donating a portion of every Kleenex® purchased. To date Kleenex® has donated over $4 million dollars to help support under-funded classrooms in low-income communities because every child should have the chance to thrive.
Now Kleenex® and DonorsChoose need your help to spread the word with an educational and inspirational video that highlights the partnership and their mission, overall impact, while also educating people on how DonorsChoose works, and sharing some key details to motivate consumers to get involved. We are looking for a skilled filmmaker to help tell this story and present important information and statistics in an inspiring and eye opening way. We're open to different creative approaches - from animated explainer videos to staged live action shoots or real teacher interviews. Some testimonials from teachers who have used DonorsChoose will also be provided for you to use in your video, along with current social assets from their partnership, and a range of other live campaign material, and that might help you decide how best to approach production. You can find some of these assets to aid in your pitch in the Brand Assets folder in the Background section. Both on-screen dialogue and VO are appropriate, and we'd expect some form of motion graphics or text to help communicate some of the data points. When showing Kleenex® products throughout the video please be sure to use Kleenex® Ultra Soft as the product variant shown.
One key goal is to communicate that teachers shouldn't have to spend any of their own money on essential items for students, because, on average, teachers spent $687 out-of-pocket stocking their classroom during the 2022-2023 school year. You can check out a DonorsChoose article in the Background section for more info on that.
There will be one main video as well as two cutdowns with each video being made in 3 aspect ratios. The :30 cutdown will aim to capture some of the emotion and inspirational aspects of the main spot while the :06 cutdown should focus more on a call-to-action prompting viewers to explore the Kleenex & DonorsChoose partnership efforts. While the cutdowns can be created with direct pulls from the main hero video, some thought should be put into how the 9x16 and 1x1 versions can be optimized; as they should not simply be a center-cut reframing. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 9 total video assets.
TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We anticipate content will be used on the platforms listed below, but if casting talent, please be sure your talent reviews the required Talent Release, 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 page.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
TONE: Educational, Inspirational, Informative, Embracing Vulnerability
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
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.
ABOUT DONORS CHOOSE: DonorsChoose.org grew out of a Bronx high school where teachers experienced first-hand the scarcity of learning materials in our public schools. Charles Best, then a social studies teacher, sensed that many people would like to help distressed public schools, but were frustrated by a lack of influence over their donations. He then created DonorsChoose.org in 2000 so that individuals could connect directly with classrooms in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests for funding on DonorsChoose.org, and just like on Kickstarter, people can browse project requests and give any amount of money to the project of their choosing. Once a project reaches its funding goal, materials are delivered to the school.
REFERENCE LINKS FOR INSPIRATION OR TONE:
In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.
The most compelling pitch will be greenlit, 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. Please see the 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 your convenience, we’ve provided some helpful templates to use at your discretion. They include templates for creating a treatment, production budget, storyboards, shot list, call sheet, and a music cue sheet. Additionally, there are templates that will help you clearly present cast, location, and wardrobe options to the Sponsor. 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 the Video Phase has closed, the greenlit submitters will enter the Revisions Phase. Filmmakers 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 any 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 about using each of these music providers, click on any of the providers’ names above.
If you choose to use custom or 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 content 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 beforehand, and an account will be created for you to access the library and its features. Once your video submissions are approved by the Sponsor, 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 the costs associated 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.