Put together a cast of real single parents and produce a set of elevated selfie-style videos that feature single parents talking about dating using the Stir dating app.
Stir is a new app designed to make dating as a single parent easier and more accessible. They want to show people what should be obvious: that single parents deserve to date, have fun, have sex, and live fulfilling dimensional lives for themselves - while still honoring their responsibilities as parents. Part of this is changing the conversation around dating as a single parent, and so the goal of this project is to create a suite of short videos that feature single parents doing just that, while speaking authentically about their experience on Stir, in order to increase app downloads and registrations.
There will be two different hero videos, each :30, along with a suite of cutdowns, and they should each feature a number of different people speaking directly to camera about their dating experiences as parents, using an elevated selfie-style format that should really feel authentic and conversational. Since the videos that you create here should be selfie-style, it's not necessary that you actually film with the cast yourself, and setting up a shoot might actually make things more complicated. The timeline here is quick-moving, and and there's a desire here that each person's background feels different, so it's likely that you'll want some, if not all, of your cast to to film themselves. This could add to the authenticity of the videos, and reframe this project as more of an editing-intensive project. That said, if you have enough single parents in your area that are willing to participate, you can absolutely still capture all the interviews yourself, and you can also combine the two approaches. Either way, all of the footage should come together seamlessly.
Importantly, we'll want to cast actual single parents, with at least 6 people in each video, and Stir imagines that we'd be providing each person with a brief list of questions that they'll answer to help us generate good sound bites and natural reactions. You'll need to develop these questions during pre-production, but given the short runtime, and the number of people, we don't imagine that the list of questions will be that long. Whatever your list of questions is, the cast should be answering authentically, and their answers should NOT be scripted. If you have cast film themselves, you will though need to provide clear guidance on how they should be lighting and filming themselves, and you may want to provide them with a modest gear package (such as a microphone and ring light) to ensure their audio and picture are of acceptable quality. They should also capture footage in a way that's both safe for 16x9 and 9x16.
There will be an extensive pre-production schedule that will involve casting approval first, followed by wardrobe and "location" approval. By location approval, we'll want to see what the background for each person will look like so that the Stir team can approve. That will require lots of communication with your cast if they are filming themselves, so keep that in mind.
You'll notice the timeline is pretty rigorous, so we'd suggest you be ready to start casting immediately upon greenlight. We'll be asking for 30-40 casting samples so we can choose cast immediately following the first round of pre-production. Following that, you'll need to have a production plan in place to action on quickly, especially if you plan to execute everything remotely. If you need to send any gear packages to talent, you'll want to do this immediately upon their acceptance of work. When casting, you may also want to discuss including a round or two of revisions in your deals with talent, in case any reshoots are necessary in post-production.
For your pitch, please be clear how you plan to approach production and casting. Cutdowns will be used on social and as bumper ads, so we'd also like to hear how you'll plan to make those pop on potential users' social feeds.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 6 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: Single parents and friends/family/influencers of single parents
TONE/FEEL: Positive, authentic, humorous, relatable
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.
LONG FORM CREATIVE THOUGHTS STARTERS:
SAMPLE SHORT FORM BRAND TAGLINES:
BRAND BACKGROUND:
Stir launched just last year and is actively developing their branding. We suggest you check out their existing brand guidelines for design inspiration and their existing content on the below social channels:
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 three music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound. 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.