Help legendary music producer and creative luminary Rick Rubin develop an artistic but minimalist 2D animation style for an unconventional animated interview show based on his Tetragrammaton podcast.
Rick Rubin is... kind of a big deal. An iconoclast, author, and musical pioneer, he's a nine-time Grammy-winning producer, and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time. He's collaborated with everyone from the Beastie Boys to Johnny Cash and Adele, and his best-selling book The Creative Act is a must-read for anyone in our field. He’s done a lot, but right now Rick's turning his uniquely creative mind to Tetragrammaton, a one-hour interview show that’s inspired by his incredible podcast series, but driven by animation, bringing unbounded visual creativity to fascinating in-depth philosophical discussions. The show will explore the known and unknown aspects of our world with some of the most creative people on the planet, taking viewers on a trip with animated artistry and archival footage, in a way that will be unlike any other interview show you’ve ever seen. If this all sounds cool, it gets better, because we need your help developing the show too.
That's right, Tetragrammaton is still in development, but Rick wants to tap into the collective genius of this community to help turn it into a TV show. The goal of this project is to develop an original and artistic 2D “base” animation style and visual language; something that can work for the main body of the show, when Rick and his guest are in the middle of the interview, but that can also guide how the show would handle title cards, transitions, lower third chyrons, and other key elements. This isn't about actual production: it's too early to have that conversation, although if you nail this and have the expertise, we're certainly open to discussing how you'd remain involved moving forward. Before we get into the details of what we’re looking for, let’s start with what the show itself is.
At a high level, in each episode, Rick will have a deeply personal conversation with someone who approaches a universal topic or idea (e.g. biodynamics, counterculture, or Tarot) in a radical way. The interview itself will be animated, and roughly 60 minutes, and there will be a "base" animation style that will serve to make it feel like a minimalist meditative art piece, enhancing the viewer's experience. That means that the animation will not simply be a visualization of two people chatting in a studio; it's expected to be more imaginative, even interpretive, or surreal. As the interview progresses and we get deeper into a topic, key stories and moments will branch off of our base animation to reveal visually arresting and experimental animated sequences, in totally different styles that will be unique to each guest. One episode's guest could see their story visualized as a classic 80's-style anime sequence, while the next could be an incredible abstract stop motion sequence with colored sand and marbles. These sequences will happen a few times throughout the podcast for a few minutes each.
Although the new show would follow it's own interview format, we'd recommend checking out this John Mayer interview as a good example of how Rick handles interviews, and how subject matter can be discussed. For the purposes of your pitch, we'll also want you to riff on the John Mayer interview.
The base animation style needs to feel captivating and visually dynamic, but also “minimalist.” Strip the concept down to its essence and its most simple form, and remember that the style needs to serve as a practical and budget-conscious way to adapt long-form interviews. There are a million ways to address this challenge, but the practical has to be kept top of mind too, and that’s partially why we expect this to be 2D animation. Note that you'll see examples of minimalist artwork on the Tetragrammaton website, but you're not tied to that same style.
In practical terms, you’ll need to consider how we handle the characters, the environment, any action, and how we're interpreting certain topics. Thinking about the John Mayer example, how could we position the interviews and the cutaways. Is it some form of a sit down interview? Does the animation reflect reality, or do we use animation to position Rick and his guest in a setting that's elevated beyond reality (i.e. are we atop a mountain, hovering in space, or in some surreal studio setting?). Is the environment even visible? When John talks about the thought process behind a song or a note, do we "see" his thoughts? This is up to you. Your visual language should also speak to the practical elements like title cards, transitions, and lower thirds, and you’ll also want to consider how we might adapt the base style to different episode’s themes or topic, without completely changing the style.
In the Pitch Phase, we're looking for three animators to propose an animation style and visual language that reflects the above. If your pitch is selected, you may be provided with additional budget to develop your animation style and visual language further. Since the show is still in development, any materials at this stage are being created to further that development, so they're not for public consumption yet, and if the show moves closer to production, additional conversations will be had.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
EXPOSURE: Any animation style materials or visual style guides would will be used to further development conversations for Tetragrammaton with potential distribution partners, like streaming services or networks.
AUDIENCE: Adults who like to have their mind blown.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
This project is and has been moving forward, but the scope and direction has changed dramatically, so we've already connected with the creators that Rick and his team have responded to. To avoid any further confusion we'll be closing this project page down. Thanks for your interest in the project!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.
For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.
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.