Create a :30 TrueView video for Ink Station, an Australian business specializing in exceptionally high quality printing products, supplies, and machines.

The goal of this project is to create a :30 live action video that introduces viewers to the Ink Station brand, shows the wide range of products they offer to individuals, small business owners, hobbyists and more, and ends with a call-to-action driving viewers to their website to shop at Ink Station now as their one stop shop for all printer consumer needs.

Ink Station is only looking for live action executions that also incorporate an Australian English accented voice over and your videos must showcase a number of their branded products with their logo appearing throughout the video. However, they are open to the inclusion of animation & motion graphics alongside the live action photography. Please note, they can ship product throughout the world so there are no geographic restrictions on who can participate.

60% of the video should be dedicated to their toner/printing supply products and the other 40% to 3D printing, cables, general office, warehouse, POS supplies (thermal receipt paper, register tape rolls, receipt printers, scales, etc.), and retail supplies. Some thought starters for messaging have been listed below in the Background.

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

DELIVERABLES: Four total deliverables:

• One :30 video (16x9)
• Three alternate :30 versions (16x9). Alternate variations will involve the same characters, locations, and script, and will mostly involve small changes that can be handled in post-production, including changes to CTAs, end-card designs, on-screen text copy, and other minor edits. Additionally, depending on where the creative lands, a version may include a slight variation to the script. This will be decided between the selected producer and client during scripting.

TIMELINE: Please find the anticipated timeline HERE, but note that if you are selected, you should consult with your Tongal producer to ensure you are always working off of the most up to date timeline.

EXPOSURE:  YouTube. For YouTube TrueView for action best practices please click here.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  

• Men and women around 45 years of age.
• Those interested in Ink Station's 3D printing machines and supplies tend to be younger than their general audience.
• Individual consumers who are looking for reliable Ink & Toner at the lowest prices with fast delivery.

TONE: Friendly, honest language, nothing stuffy. Professional and reliable tone when describing the products.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:

• The Ink Station logo will be put on a number of products and must appear throughout the video. Alternatively, if this is not possible due to shipping limitations, the filmmaker may be required to place the Ink Station logo on products in post. The greenlit filmmaker will be made aware of what products can and should be featured.
• The acting talent must reflect the demographic of the consumer related to the product. Younger generation for 3D printing, and around 45 years of age for the other categories listed below under frequent buyer needs.
• The VO artist must repeat the Ink Station brand name throughout the video.
• You may NOT show competing brands & original manufacture brands together.
• As an Australian-owned company it's important that you keep this in mind during filming and avoid anything that would place the video elsewhere.
• 60% of the video should be dedicated to their toner/printing supply products and the other 40% to 3D printing, cables, general office, warehouse, POS supplies (thermal receipt paper, register tape rolls, receipt printers, scales, etc.), and retail supplies. 
• The acting talent or setting must reflect the demographic of the consumer related to the product so there is a clear distinction between categories.  Younger generation for 3D printing, and around 45 years of age for the other categories.
• As Ink Station is based in Australia, the VO artist and any on-screen dialogue must be in an Australian English accent.

Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, so 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.

Ink Station provides a wide range of products such as office, warehouse & retail supplies, 3D printing, and personal protection. This gives them the opportunity to provide the customer with the very best of printer consumables at a heavily reduced price without compromising on quality. Ink Station’s success relies solely on customers that want to take advantage of their great low prices for exceptional quality products. They are an Australian-owned company and are to be considered the "One Stop Shop for all your Printing & Business Needs."

Their generic products are of high quality and are compatible with most printers major manufacturers such as Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Samsung, Fuji Xerox and more.

They want viewers to know that they carry more than just their main products. Ink Station's main products are ink, toner, and printer cartridges, but they also provide office machines (like printers, shredders, scanners, laminators, etc.), labels, 3D printing machines & supplies, cables, and warehouse & retail supplies. It's important that customers are directed to their website knowing they can provide an answer to their needs.

They have excellent customer service from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm local time, offer door-to-door shipping to Australia's entirety, and free shipping on orders over $50 AUD.

THOUGHT-STARTERS: When thinking about ways that Ink Station provides an excellent customer experience you can focus on: 

• Simple & hassle-free ordering process
• Quality Ink & Toner at the lowest prices
• Fast delivery
• High customer satisfaction (Trustpilot 80,732 reviews)
• Only needing to browse one place for all your needs

FREQUENT BUYER NEEDS: Ink Station is looking to appeal to a wide variety of customer needs listed below respective to their demand (1 being most popular and 3 being the least). The acting talent or setting must reflect the demographic of the consumer related to the product so there is a clear distinction between categories. Younger generation for 3D printing, and around 45 years of age for the other categories.

1. For individuals, businesses (large and small), work from home users, think ink & toner, office supplies & cables.
2. For retail shops, warehouses, etc., think about warehouse and point-of-sale supplies (thermal receipt paper, register tape rolls, receipt printers, scales, etc).
3. Then there's supplies for 3D printers, hobbyists and DIYers - separate from mass-production businesses.

REFERENCE VIDEOS: Here are some of Ink Station’s favorite videos for you to review. The 123ink video meets most of their required messaging and can be considered an excellent reference for the style of video Ink Station is looking to achieve. Think small office environment, and showcasing a multitude of products they provide.

• 123ink Base Video
• 123ink :06 Version
• 123ink :15 Version
• 123ink :30 Version
• American Heart Association
• GoDaddy Branding

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.

• SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the video you intend to create.
  
  
• HEADSHOTS/CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Casting notes or concepts, headshots of actors, etc.
  
  
• 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.

• SCRIPT: This project requires script approval before the Video Phase. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your script(s) and ask you to submit a new version. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until a script is approved by the Sponsor. 
• HEADSHOT: This project requires headshot approval before the Video Phase. You must submit at least two actor options per role. If the Sponsor does not approve either of your options for a role, you may be asked to submit two new actor options. Tongal advocates for inclusivity in on-screen representation and diversity in casting. As a best practice, please submit three to four options per role with at least one of those options being a person of color.
• STORYBOARD (if applicable): If you are doing an animated video, this project requires storyboard approval before you move into animation in the Video Phase. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your storyboard and ask you to submit a new version.
• LOCATION: This project requires location approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. This means you will need to submit multiple images of your primary filming location. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your location and ask you to submit additional photos or to find a new location and submit images for that.
• WARDROBE: This project requires wardrobe approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. You will need to submit descriptions and/or pictures of your cast’s wardrobe. You must submit at least two wardrobe options per role. If the Sponsor does not approve either of your options for a role, you may be asked to submit two new wardrobe options.

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.

REVISION REQUIREMENTS: 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.

MUSIC: For any music that you use from a library, it is MANDATORY that you use one of Tongal's three music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music 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 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/original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. 

ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: 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.

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. Should your submission be greenlit, 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. 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.