Create a relaxed and captivating long-form animated video that can pair with a "Lo-fi beats" audio track and offer people a bit of a musical escape on T-Mobile's YouTube channel.
When it comes to Lo-fi Beats videos on YouTube, the amount of options is endless: but there tend to be two key things that can really hook someone scrolling through their feed, and that's the visual design, and the video title. These components certainly influence each other, and arguably, it's the visual design that drives everything, but some of these videos are so oddly specific that they're increasingly the source of comedy gold, like you see in videos like this. All the same, Lo-fi beats are entertaining and soothing for everyday use and T-Mobile is now looking for someone to make a custom lo-fi beats animation for their very own YouTube channel.
The goal of this project is to find up to 2 creators that can each create a different loopable animated sequence that can be used to generate a 50-60 minute video, which'll ultimately be be paired with a "Lo-fi" beats audio track. Now, you may be thinking that's a lot of animation to create, but keep in mind that Lo-fi videos are almost always constructed around a simple looping animation sequence, and that sequence typically only has a single setting, with a single character or characters, and a small handful of animated elements. The visuals are captivating, and detailed, but much simpler. We expect you may need several minutes of original animation to create your loop, and that'll then loop several times over to accompany the music and ensure your video falls within the 50-60 minute target runtime.
This project won't require that you create the music itself; that will be done in the T-Mobile Signature Ringtone Lo-fi Beats Audio Project. If you happen to have the audio and animation skills to create both assets, you're certainly welcome to pitch on both projects. Outside of music, you can still lay down ambient sound effects or other background audio (e.g. the sound of rain, the crackle of a fire, the whisper of trees in the wind, etc.), but you'll want to mix the audio so that the music takes lead.
When it comes to the visuals, you have immense creative freedom here, but we are looking for rich, vibrant 2D or 3D animation. The level of complexity is up to you, although we do want something that feels genuinely interesting, fresh, and dynamic. You can look to Lo-fi staples, like Lofi Girl, to get a sense of what's typically done within the genre. Lofi Girl focuses on a single character studying, and much of the animation involves small movements and gestures that she makes, but you'll always see some action outside her window (like falling snow), and you'll see some movement with her cat, and all of this fits within some kind of singular theme. Channels like Lofi Everyday lean heavily on specific locations, weather, and seasons for their themes.
Whatever approach you decide to take, think of ways to incorporate the T-Mobile brand without making the video too brand-focused. You could create an animation of what the inside of a storefront looks like, while a T-Mobile employee prepares for closing, or you could do a magenta-themed bedroom that includes easter eggs and odes to T-Mobile seen in the different electronic devices they have throughout their room. Both of these would be a little more obvious and expected but are certainly worth considering. Otherwise, T-Mobile has a distinct voice that is vibrant and playful, celebratory and quirky, confident and tech-forward, and your video should evoke those same vibes. The color magenta (#E20074) is key too (if you haven't already noticed) and it's pervasive throughout T-Mobile content.
Once you have your animation style picked, we also encourage you to create an awesome name to go along with your animation! T-Mobile may pick up to two submissions to move forward with, at which point they'll provide feedback and you will be provided the rough version of the audio track during pre-production and the final audio track before sharing your fine cut of the video. To see some of the recent animated videos T-Mobile has shared, check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There is one total video asset, per creator.
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: Gen Z and Millennial active social users in the US, with a focus on those ages 18-34
TONE/FEEL: energetic, soothing, vibrant, modern, quirky
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.
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
This is some of the recent video and image content created on Tongal, and they're all great examples of the style we're looking for but still showcase how much diversity is possible.
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.
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.