Celebrate everyone's favorite sponge, SpongeBob SquarePants, on his birthday AND the 25th anniversary of the show, by creating a funny, entertaining, and clever "burn cake" video designed for TikTok.
The beloved Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants has some big milestones to celebrate this July. Not only is July 14th SpongeBob's birthday, but July is also the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the show. Can I be excused for the rest of my life to go celebrate?!?! No? Well, then what's a better way to celebrate a big milestone than with CAKE? And not just any cake - Nickelodeon wants to jump in on the viral trend of "burn cakes" with a special SpongeBob twist. So, if you are an aspiring star baker with some filmmaking friends or a director who knows an amazing cake sculptor, this project is for you!
The goal here is, first and foremost, to create an incredible cake that shows off and captures SpongeBob's playful spirit, and then with that, a cool short social video revealing the cake. In terms of the overall look of the cake, this assignment is wide open to artistic interpretation, but the cake should feature the iconic quote, "What's funnier than 24?" at the top, and it should then burn away to reveal the logo for SpongeBob's 25th Anniversary (which will be shared with the greenlit creator). On top of the cake design, we do still want an interesting reveal, so be thoughtful in how you might approach that element.
In terms of edit structure, Nickelodeon wants to see the finished cake at the beginning of the video, and then transition to a montage sequence with the making of the cake, before we see a burn away reveal at the end. Importantly, any depictions of the characters must be wholly original works (i.e. not still images pulled from the show), and the characters must stay as close to the original designs as possible. Nickelodeon is open to both live-action and stop-motion approaches, but the real focus of the video should be the cake itself, showing off inventive details brought to life in sugary sweetness.
In your pitch, please include any cake design past work, or if you're planning to work with a baker, please include links to their past work as well. We'd also encourage you to submit an optional proof-of-concept video that illustrates how your idea would come to life. Your proof of concept should be designed for TikTok, shot in a 9x16 aspect ratio, and up to 30 seconds. You can even create your proof-of-concept video in the TikTok app itself. Feel free to include links to any existing social videos (they don't have to be your own) that represent the style you'd be aiming for.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: Each greenlit creator will create one video:
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: Funny, smart, authentic, good-natured, diverse, supportive, celebratory
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
OPEN BID:
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors of SpongeBob and his aquatic friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The fifth-longest-running American animated series, its popularity has made it a media franchise with over 100M social fans. It is the highest-rated series to air on Nickelodeon. The success of the series has also spawned shows such as Kamp Koral and The Patrick Show - all of which, along with the original Spongebob Squarepants series, make up the Spongebob Universe.
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.