Film at an Advance Auto Parts location and create a suite of three short live-action YouTube videos that highlight a variety of different products, along with some of their key features and benefits.
Advance Auto Parts is dedicated to keeping you on the road with everything you need to tackle any automotive challenge, and their team is looking to create a suite of videos showcasing some of their favorite products on their websites and YouTube channel. These videos will serve as a quick and accessible overview on the right types of products to look for depending on their automotive project. When it comes to having the right tools to keep you safe and prepared while driving, Advance has you covered!
The goal of this project then is to create three different live-action YouTube videos – each up to 1 minute – as part of a suite that will showcase a range of common products available at Advance Auto Parts nationwide. The three videos will feature motor oils, DieHard Tools, and DieHard Jacks, with a talent-driven demonstration of product usage and an explanation of key benefits. Stylistically, Advance is looking to replicate the professional, direct, and clear approach that you find in something like their recent Free Services videos, with the talent talking directly to camera in a welcoming tone. These previous videos included multiple talent, vehicles, and setups so while we are looking for a similar tone and visual style, you can reasonably have the setups and execution be simplified and straightforward. Automotive care can be overwhelming, so the Advance team would like to create each video to feel like a personal interaction that’s as friendly as it is informative. The visuals should feel modern and crisp while ensuring that the products are the main characters of the videos and the edit should be upbeat, energetic, and may even feature simple graphics or transitions to captivate the audience.
You can see a list of all products that will be featured in the Background. Advance will provide the actual products for each video, but you will need to handle the messaging and any visuals that might be used to explain the products or their usage. Generally, messaging should be fairly straightforward, addressing the process and the ease of use associated with each product. 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. One important call out for this project is that product branding and packaging can often change, so the Advance team is looking for a clever approach to showing products that could allow packaging or labeling to changed out later. Consider how you might feature the packaging shots on their own, away from any other products and talent, with simple backgrounds and VO, so that way the Advance team could swap in a shot with new packaging in the future, if they needed to. Once the products are out of their packaging, they can be featured in use and with talent.
All videos must take place at an Advance Auto Parts storefront, and a store location near you will be provided for one day of filming. 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.
For talent, you'll need to cast someone to appear as an Advance team member, and you should consider whether someone might also appear as a customer. The talent portraying an Advance team member does not need to be an actual mechanic, but they should preferably be someone with knowledge about car maintenance, and feel comfortable performing the functions of the products featured. Generally speaking, talent should also be diverse. The Advance 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 in the videos.
You should also plan to have Advance approve the vehicles that will be featured in the video to ensure the products can be used with that vehicle, though the vehicle will not need to be shown in its entirety. Beyond that, know that this suite 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 12 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, and 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.
PRODUCTS TO BE FEATURED:
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 music providers: Jingle Punks and Universal Production Music. 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.