We are looking for a filmmaker to capture cinematic docu-style footage & interviews involving three local businesses in San Jose, California, as well as B-roll from a local media outlet, various public landmarks & notable sites, and the exterior of the PayPal Park soccer stadium, before handing all raw footage off to the PayPal team to handle post-production. Anticipate a two-day shoot in San Jose the week of July 11th.

PayPal has strong ties to the city of San Jose, California. Their headquarters have been based in the city since the company was founded, and in 2021, PayPal announced a 10-year partnership with the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team to become the sponsors of PayPal Park. To help celebrate their hometown, they are looking for a filmmaker to capture footage & interviews involving three local businesses in San Jose, California, as well as B-roll from a local media outlet, various public landmarks & notable sites, and PayPal Park, the home of the San Jose Earthquakes. All of this will need to happen over a two-day shoot the week of July 11th. Raw footage and audio from this shoot will then be provided via hard drive back to PayPal, who will be creating a suite of assets for their digital channels, and for local TV, so this project will NOT require any post-production. 

Although no additional budget will be provided for travel, you are not required to be in or from San Jose, to pitch on this project, but they would love to have a local perspective and believe it will be extremely helpful in ensuring that what you shoot captures San Jose authentically. If you can, it might even make sense for you to partner with a local production team. For the shoot itself, PayPal has an initial list of locations in mind - which you can see in the Background section below - but they will also be looking for your input on areas or landmark that will resonate with people from San Jose. Think beyond tourist traps and museums, and more along the lines of hidden gems, hole in the wall joints, or other "if you know, you know" type places. In your pitch treatment, please be sure to address how you will be factoring in the local flavor of San Jose. 

From a logistical standpoint, you should plan for two cameras, minimal lighting, and full audio for the interview setups. You will primarily be filming real people, but to ensure that some of your shots feel lively and realistic, you will also be required to source some extras for general social interaction moments to reflect the diverse makeup of San Jose residents. In terms of locations, you will need to handle permitting for any & all public areas that will be captured in this content, but you will not be required to source the local business owners, media outlet connection, or access to the exteriors of PayPal park - PayPal will help source those elements. 

PayPal also has a visual style in mind, which you can find in the Background section below. Content should ideally have a cinematic style, but given the need to move quickly, PayPal will want to plan to use natural lighting and handheld or floating (a la gimbal) camera movement where needed. 

While PayPal has a general shotlist in mind, you will be required to break down the specific shots you will be able to capture, along with any interview questions, in pre-production. After production, you will then be required to package all raw files for a final handoff to the PayPal team, who will be handling post-production. Lastly, you should plan for up to three representatives from PayPal on set. They will not require a full video village, but you should plan for at least one monitor on set to allow for sign off on framing & lighting. 

For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

DELIVERABLES: All deliverables are meant to allow for a quick and seamless handoff to PayPal's editing team. 

• One hard drive with non-graded raw footage & synched sound
• Time-coded transcripts for all interviews
• Detailed shot breakdown, labeled by corresponding file names
• One wrap up / handoff call with the Sponsor's editing team to walk through the hard drive files

TIMELINE: HERE

EXPOSURE:

• Local broadcast media
• Screens inside the PayPal Park Stadium
• PayPal's Website
• PayPal's social channels, including but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
• Please review the platform best practices page.

TARGET AUDIENCE: San Jose, California residents and San Jose Earthquakes fans

TONE: Authentic, human moments

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Your budget considerations must allow for up to three representatives from PayPal on set. 
• Your budget considerations must allow for permitting of any public areas. 
• When filming in local businesses, we will not be able to close the business during that time, so we will need to work with their general customer flow. 
• Aerial & drone photography are NOT required.
  
  

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit bid, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any bids via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.   

Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, and we're now requiring a COVID safety protocol plan for all relevant productions. Please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We're working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and you should ensure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline and budget, while also ensuring everyone's safety.

STYLISTIC REFERENCES: Below are videos that reflect the style PayPal will be looking for in this footage: 

• Southern Elegance Candle Company
• Speakcheesy
• Pro SUP Shop
• HBO 24/7 Hockey Intro Video (Note: while not a PayPal reference, the PayPal team likes how this footage is grounded in a common, relatable theme - “What do you want to be when you grow up?” - while also weaving in the pride of two cities and their respective sports teams.)

INITIAL SHOT LIST: Below is an initial list of the shots PayPal is hoping to capture, along with the tentative locations they are planning for. Please note: they recognize not all of these shots will be possible, but you should plan for the three small business interviews, with the Mercury News, and PayPal Park footage capture as all mandatories, with the other moments subject to what we will realistically have access to. 

• Nirvana Soul Coffee - Interview with owner/b-roll in the shop/interactions or transactions with customers (ideally hope to feature shots of PayPal tech/transactions in store using on-site point of sale functions)
• Biscuits - Interview with owner/b-roll in the shop/interactions or transactions with customers (ideally hope to feature shots of PayPal tech/transactions in store using on-site point of sale functions)
• The Source Zero - Interview with owner/b-roll in the shop/interactions or transactions with customers (ideally hope to feature shots of PayPal tech/transactions in store using on-site point of sale functions)
• San Jose Mercury News - Footage of newspapers being printed early in the morning, riding along with a newspaper delivery driver to show papers being dropped off early in the morning
• PayPal Park - Exterior beauty shots of PayPal branding at the stadium close to golden hour
• San Jose Fire Station - Interaction with firefighters/paramedics (please note: PayPal would help to gain access/clearance for filming in a fire station location)
• General San Jose Moments:
  • 2-3 timelapses of major, recognizable downtown intersections
  • “Welcome to San Jose” signage as shot from a moving car, either near downtown and/or as filmed on the freeway
  • General b-roll of highways, which can be sped up / speed ramped in post
  • Medium wides of notable San Jose landmarks (e.g. Winchester Mystery House, San Jose Museum of Art), notable Mission or Cathedral…open to suggestions from local perspective based on what will resonate most with San Jose audiences
  • Mediums and tights of California state flags waving
  • San Jose community members in social gatherings, at work, volunteering, etc. (based on what we could realistically have access to)
  • San Jose community members in agricultural/farming settings to reflect the city's agricultural background

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.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this video.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the video. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
  
  
• 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.

• COVID PROTOCOL (REQUIRED): Please let us know your team’s COVID safety protocols for production. If you’re doing everything yourself, or your team will be working 100% remotely, let us know that this won’t apply. Otherwise, at the very minimum, your safety plan must include information about:
  • What city and state you plan to film in.
  • Whether you are filming interiors or exteriors.
  • Approximately how many people you plan to have on set.
  • How you’ll account for testing, PPE, and distancing on set. 
  • How you’ll handle talent and backup talent, including any hair, make-up, and wardrobe needs.
  • Whether you’ll have a dedicated compliance officer on set.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch. Also, test videos, animatics, etc. are welcome. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the Sponsor gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

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 full payment schedule in the Assets section.

PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to shooting, filmmakers must receive the below approvals from the Sponsor.

• SHOTLIST/INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: This project requires shotlist/interview question approval. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your shotlist/interview questions and ask you to submit a new version. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until those are approved by the Sponsor. 
• FRAMING REFERENCES: This project requires approval of references for how you will frame your key shots. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your references and ask you to submit a new version.
• LOCATION: This project requires location approval. This means you will need to submit multiple images of your primary filming locations (outside of the ones provided to you by the Sponsor). The Sponsor may provide feedback on your locations and ask you to submit additional photos or to find a new location and submit images for that.

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: Tongal supports inclusivity in all of our productions and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.

ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: You must also provide One hard drive with non-graded raw footage & synched sound, Time-coded transcripts for all interviews, A detailed shot breakdown with labeled by corresponding file names, and One wrap up/handover call with the Sponsor's editing team to walk through the hard drive files in order to submit final payment. You are responsible for the costs associated the hard drive and shipping.

For Tongal’s file delivery specs and any other questions you may have about post production, please click here.

1. 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.
   
   
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. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor’s organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
6. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
7. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
8. 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.
    
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
10. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
     
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
13. 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.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
15. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their 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 earnings.
    
    
16. 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.