Produce a suite of authentic, docu-style customer story videos for Alpin Haus at two of their stores in Amsterdam, NY, showcasing the incredible experience they offer customers from the customers themselves.
For over 60 years, Alpin Haus has been one of the leading outdoor recreational retailers in the north-eastern US. Whether you're looking for the best RV around, a boat to enjoy the lake on in the summer, or even installing a new pool, Alpin Haus has become the go-to spot while still maintaining their family-owned, down to earth vibes. Now, Alpin Haus wants to film some of their most dedicated customers and share their personal experience to help spread the good word.
The goal of this project is to create a suite of videos, up to 2 minutes in length each, that's built around a series of compelling testimonial interviews with dedicated Alpin Haus customers who've had great experiences across a range of their products, specifically in the RV, boat, and pool categories. Production will require a shoot in Amsteram, NY during the month of July and will require you to shoot at two of their distinct locations in town, so you should plan for at least three days of production (one day for prep, one for each location). The main focus of the video should be on the customer's incredible and long-standing relationship being a customer at Alpin Haus, and should celebrate not only the excellence in product quality and variety, but also in the personal, down-to-earth shopping experience you can expect when going to Alpin Haus.
Creatively, Alpin Haus wants these videos to be energetic and exciting (given the nature of the very fun activities they do business in), but also emotionally resonant, as it's their personal touch and family-owned aesthetic that sets them apart from other major retailers. Beyond the specific customer videos, you will also be editing together one “Best Of” supercut featuring highlights across all stories, so it will be important to lay out in your pitch treatment how you intend to establish a narrative storyline thread and aesthetic throughout ALL the videos.
An important detail, Alpin Haus is planning to provide the supplemental action b-roll footage for the range of videos (e.g. customers driving RVs, boating, on the water or in the pool, etc.). So the majority of your time will be spent on the five customer interviews and relevant in-store b-roll across the two store locations, being sure to hit all agreed upon talking points. During the pre-production phase, you can collaborate with Alpin Haus to narrow in on exactly what type of b-roll footage to expect/include, and you may also propose capturing additional in-store b-roll footage at that time where warranted. It's also important to note that you must put together a list of interview questions during the pre-production phase, which will need to be approved by Alpin Haus before filming.
Check out more information in the Background. Note that you do not need to be based in the Amsterdam, NY area to pitch on this project, but no additional budget for travel or accommodations will be provided. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 16 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 we CANNOT guarantee that usage is limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adults 21-65, fans of outdoor activities.
TONE/FEEL: Emotionally resonant, energetic, personal
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: You may not use AI generated visual or audio assets in your final content. However, for the purposes of your pitch and pre-production materials, you are welcome to use generative AI to create visuals, storyboards, animatics, proofs-of-concept, etc. that might help the Sponsor understand your vision for creating the final content. Additionally, assistive AI tools (e.g. object removal, compositing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitling, etc.) may be used in post-production to supplement your workflow. Please keep record of any AI usage deployed in your submissions in the event that the Sponsor requests AI disclosures. If you have questions about any specific usage or tool, please ask your Tongal producer.
MORE ABOUT ALPIN HAUS: In 1964, a small family-owned business opened its doors in Amsterdam, NY. Alpin Haus started as a ski shop with one full time employee and a handful of helpers.
Today, Alpin Haus is one of the leading outdoor recreational retailers in the northeast and employs over 250 people across our seven locations across the Northeast: two in Amsterdam, NY, and additional stores in Orange County, Latham, Saratoga Springs, and Clifton Park, NY, as well as Oak Ridge, NJ. They proudly offer a full line of RVs, along with boats, snowmobiles, skis, pools, and spas, and are recognized as one of the largest RV dealers in the country.
Alpin Haus has earned numerous accolades, including being named a Top 5 RV Dealer by RV Business Magazine, a Top 25 Tracker Boats Dealer, Snow Sports Retailer of the Year, National Top Quality RV Dealer of the Year, and Ski-Doo District Dealer of the Year. The company has also been consistently recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by the Capital District Business Review
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. Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include a budget with your submission.
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 BIBLE & APPROVALS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST prepare a singular pre-production "bible" document with the elements contained below, and that document MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor. We recommend that you use the bible template we provide HERE, or something very similar. The bible can be presented in stages as different elements are ready for review (i.e. it's not expected that storyboards, if required, are ready with your first draft). Apart from the below, you're also welcome to include other key items that you think would be helpful to communicate your plan (e.g. moodboards, lighting, music, shot list, etc.).
Note that there may be multiple rounds of feedback until elements are approved, and 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: Universal Production Music, PrimalHouse, or Slipstream. 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 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.