Create an inspiring and heartfelt :60 video that creates awareness and understanding of the critical work Gideon's Promise is doing to help public defenders help their clients – and why that matters.

As important as public defenders are, most people don't understand how important they are, let alone how much impact they have on the lives of their clients and clients' families. A shocking majority of Americans funneled into the criminal legal system, largely from marginalized communities, are unable to afford a lawyer of their choosing, and need to rely on a public defender to fight for their rights or freedom; in return, public defenders are frequently overloaded, handling more cases – more people – than they have time for. For both public defenders and their clients, it's often like having the cards stacked against you before you even enter the game.

Gideon's Promise believes we can – and should – do better. Their mission is to transform public defense and ensure equal justice for all by empowering public defenders nationwide through mentorship, training, and community-focused values, across all levels of their careers. Especially as America grapples with the inherent inequities of our criminal legal system, public defenders need to be seen as a powerful force for change from within, ultimately serving as the conscience of our criminal justice system. And to do that, we need your help to get people to understand the very real issues public defenders and their clients face every single day, and inspire them to fight for a better criminal legal system for all.

In a previous project, we sourced three concepts for an inspiring :60 video that creates awareness around the importance of public defenders and the critical work Gideon's Promise is doing to help public defenders help their clients. Now, we're looking for a Tongal filmmaker or animator to bring one of those concepts to life in a way that connects with apathetic viewers who may not otherwise see the need for better support and mentorship for public defenders.

Gideon's Promise is open to all forms and formats for your video, from motion graphics to kinetic text, 2D animation to papercraft, licensable stock footage to full live action, and anything in between. The concepts your video should be based off of are all included in the Background, along with some guiding notes from the Gideon's Promise team to help you formulate your pitch.

DELIVERABLES:

• One :60 video (16x9)
• One :30 cutdown (1x1)

TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.

EXPOSURE:

• Broadcast, Gideon's Promise social platforms. (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), direct share with potential donors and sponsors.
• Be sure to check out the platform best practices page.

TARGET AUDIENCE: This video is intended to hit the widest possible audience; your execution should therefore feel broadly accessible and impactful, including to those most apathetic to the critical role of public defenders, as well as to potential donors and sponsors.
 

TONE: Informative, educational, empathetic, passionate, inspiring, heartfelt; not sappy or sympathetic. 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Your pitch must be built around at least one of the three concepts outlined in the Background section. You may combine the concepts if you see fit. 
• Your video must create awareness of both the challenges facing public defenders in our current criminal legal system, as well as the impact public defenders can make when they are properly supported.
• Your video must humanize both public defenders and the clients they represent.
• While your video should be informative it should also be inspirational, heartfelt, and inspire passion; viewers should take away the understanding that the criminal legal system not only should, but can be better.
• Your video must be targeted at an American audience, be in American English and any on-screen or VO talent must speak American-accented English.
• Your video should build off of the Gideon's Promise tagline: Strengthening Public Defenders. Transforming Public Defense. 
• Gideon's Promise also considers the following to be mandatory/preferred language, and words/language to avoid: 
  • Mandatory/Preferred: 
    • Dignity, Humane/Humanity, The Client/The Accused, Criminal Legal System, New/Next Generation, Economically Disadvantaged
  • Avoid: 
    • The Defendant, Training Program, Criminal Justice System, Poor, Indigent

OPEN BID: 

• This is an open bid project, so you will get to set your own budget proposal up to $5,000. 
• By participating in this open bid project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most open bid 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 open bid 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. 

Your pitch must be based on one of the below concepts and must take Gideon's Promise's notes into account. You may combine multiple concepts if it behooves your video, or you may submit unique pitches against individual concepts if you are interested in potentially creating against more than one of the concepts. 

• WHAT IT TAKES - Show the impact of a fair legal process on individual family: being there for kid's 1st school day, holidays together, etc. In a flashback, go back in time and show what it took: a public defender as aid, and you contributing to a fair legal process.
  
  GIDEON'S PROMISE NOTES:
  This concept provides an opportunity for the viewer to see what it took for a public defender to truly support their client through the legal system. We'd like to start this PSA showing the client enjoying time with their family, but knowing and feeling the true fragility of what it took for them to be reunited with their loved ones. Following this "happy" visual, we then want to take the viewer through the exhaustive and extensive steps required for a public defender to ensure their client actually received a fair trial. This would be an explorative journey of the public defender and their client.
  
  Consider how your execution can grab the viewer's attention and make an emotional impact right off the bat, while showing what the legal system can be when a public defender has the resources they need to ensure a fair trial for their client.
  
  
• THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL - An expanded-upon version of the “right to an attorney” aspect of the Miranda Warrant that goes into the various things that a defense attorney should and will provide.
  
  GIDEON'S PROMISE NOTES:
  As American citizens, we share an understanding of our Miranda Rights...but we also share the feeling hearing those words spoken at us by a police officer would provoke: fear. This concept dives into that feeling, and while it is not comfortable, it is relatable.
  
  The Right to a Fair Trial is a misnomer, which we'd like to dive into, and which makes this a rich concept that can be explored through the lens of how effective public defense can actually permit and insist on a fair trial being deserved and conducted on behalf of a client.
  
  Your video should take us from a feeling of familiarity of fear to an understanding that fairness is a human right, and therefore, should be expected.
  
  
• UNSUNG HERO - Follow the story of a public defender and what made her choose this career. Ideally this would be someone who witnessed the broken system firsthand from a young age. The goal of this video is to champion public defenders as unsung heroes.
  
  GIDEON'S PROMISE NOTES:
  Unlike all of the other, more familiar characters and roles within the criminal legal system, do people really understand who and what public defenders actually do? Thanks to the extensive suite of Law & Order shows (and Dick Wolf), we certainly understand the role of the police, prosecutor, judge, and even the traditional criminal defense attorney. However, who is the public defender? In order to effectively understand this particular role/character in the criminal legal system, it would demand authenticity in storytelling. In a broken infrastructure that not only glamorizes, but also has compassion for everyone but the public defender, it is time to level the playing field. In taking an honest and truthful exploration of why a person has chosen this career path, it creates an amazing opportunity for fostering genuine awareness for who these people are, and the critical role they perform in the criminal legal system – the role of the system's consciousness.

Learn more about Gideon's Promise and their work.  This New York Times article shines a light on some of the serious issues public defenders and their clients face.

REFERENCE VIDEOS:

Watch Jonathan Rapping's Ted Talk about the importance of the work Gideon's Promise is doing. 

And the trailer for the documentary Gideon's Army.

These episodes of tv, while fictional, touched on the absolute need for qualified, compassionate, and courageous public defenders:

• Scandal, Season 7, Episode 12
• Law & Order: SVU, Season 14, Episode 13

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): 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this video.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• BID/BUDGET (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project, so you’ll get to set your overall budget proposal, up to $5,000. If you are filming live-action or stop-motion, ensure that your budget factors in appropriate COVID safety protocols (i.e. testing, PPE, cleaning supplies, backup talent, etc.). You can download the budget template here.
  
  
• COVID PROTOCOL (REQUIRED): Please let us know your team's COVID safety protocols for production. If you're doing everything yourself, or working remotely with a team, let us know. 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
    
    
• SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the video you intend to create.
  
  
• STORYBOARDS (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, shot list, anything that helps get your point across. You can download the Tongal storyboard template here.
  
  
• 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 upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment, the responsible creator will receive funding. Please note: the payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal. Your Tongal producer will create a full payment schedule with you.

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

• SCRIPT: This project requires script approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your script and ask you to submit a new version. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until a script is approved by the Sponsor.
• CASTING (if applicable): The Sponsor will provide feedback on the casting choices you propose in your pitch. 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. Additionally, owing to the risk of disruption from COVID, you will be expected to have backup talent approved by the Sponsor in advance of production to account for any last-minute changes.
• STORYBOARD (for animation/stop-motion/motion graphics productions): This project requires storyboard approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your storyboard and ask you to submit a new version.
• LOCATION (for live-action productions): 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 (for live-action productions): 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.

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: Tongal has partnered with three premiere 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 separate 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. If you obtain music from third-party catalog providers, you must purchase the appropriate license at your own expense and submit it with your license purchase receipt when you turn in your video paperwork.

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. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
7. 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.
    
8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. 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.
    
    
13. 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.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
15. 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.