Produce a cozy, social-first live-action video for Lowe’s to highlight their new nostalgic holiday decor collection, and capture the magical feeling of childhood holiday memories.
*Owing to product availability considerations, you must be able to receive product at an address in the U.S. or Canada.*
For so many, the holiday season is a chance to bring back the magic, vibrance, and nostalgia of childhood. Lowe’s is embracing the cozy aesthetic of holidays past with their new Vintage Holiday decor assortment, featuring retro holiday lights, classic trees, iconic accents, and festive garlands. To build excitement and connect with audiences on social media, Lowe’s is looking to create a warm, playful video that taps into nostalgic holiday styling and makes viewers feel like they’ve stepped back into childhood!
The goal of this project is to produce a single live-action or hybrid social video that showcases Lowe’s Vintage Holiday decor assortment in a clever, thumb-stopping way. Nostalgia is the key here, as we want to catch people's attention with something that feels real and familiar immediately, evoking a sense of wonderful days past, steeped in holiday traditions. Creatively, your ideas should be rooted in the idea of "making the holidays feel like they did when you were a kid," using warm lighting, colorful retro styling, and smart transitions to build an environment that feels authentic, and intentionally crafted.
In the Background, you'll see the particular products that Lowe's wants to see featured in the video, along with a variety of creative reference examples that show off different styles and approaches (though the fact that one of the products is the famous Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story should give you a good sense of where things can go here too). What we're NOT looking for is another polished, traditional décor video here - Lowe's want something visually creative and dynamic, that shows what's possible with clever filmmaking and authentic feels for the warm and fuzzy Christmas years of yore.
From a practical standpoint, Lowe's is open to any production style that involves live-action, animation, practical effects or a hybrid approach depending on the creative.. You don't need to film inside a Lowe's store. Instead, focus on creating an authentic, cozy home environment that helps highlight how real people might enjoy these products. Any onscreen messaging should be minimal and emotionally driven rather than overly promotional, and we need to only include Lowe's branding if it comes up organically. This is a video where music/sound design can enhance the nostalgic feeling, but it should still work equally well with sound off, so the visuals should be the main driver here. It's also okay to propose using talent if you think it enhances the nostalgic/childhood holiday feeling, but the product should always be the primary focus of the video, never the talent.
Lowe's is not allowing AI usage on this project, as they are keen to avoid an overly artificial execution that could invite “AI slop” commentary. The creativity and surprise should come from smart production, staging, editing, and practical visual ideas. Traditional VFX can absolutely enhance the mechanic, but the finished work should feel deliberate, believable, and unmistakably human-made.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There is 1 total video asset
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: Broad—holiday shoppers and decorators.
Particularly relevant to:
TONE/FEEL: Nostalgic, warm, whimsical, magical, playful, cozy, sentimental, colorful, visually rich, social-native, unexpected
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: No AI usage of any kind is permitted on this project.
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.
PRODUCTS THAT NEED TO BE FEATURED IN THE VIDEO:
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
Past Lowe's Posts:
Other References
These references demonstrate the nostalgic, visually rich and social-native direction we're interested in, but they shouldn't serve as executional templates. We are looking for a fresh interpretation of vintage holiday nostalgia that feels distinctly Lowe's.
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.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot - before or after the Pitch Phase. 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.
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.
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.