Create fun, engaging, and humorous digital videos for FastGrowingTrees.com.

The goal of this project is to produce two distinct :15 digital videos for FastGrowingTrees.com. If your videos perform well, they may even be used for broadcast! Your two videos should revolve around the below concept (feel free to riff on it as well) but should be two separate setups (given the time of year, one could be in a studio while the other should be filmed outdoors).

Homeowner views dreary backyard and imagines a trip to a gardening center or big box store - driving to the nursery, clueless apathetic employees, giant stock of dying plants, waiting in line, struggling to tie down the trees and making a mess in the car. There has to be a better way! You see a different reality when the homeowner uses FastGrowingTrees.com. With personalized selection, quality care, convenience, speed, and simplicity, FastGrowingTrees.com helps free up time for the actual project.

Your videos should create awareness of FastGrowingTrees.com, its functional and emotional benefits, and drive new customer orders by offering relevant and compelling RTBs (reasons to believe - see Background) and promotional offers. The videos should also increase confidence and trust in FastGrowingTrees.com as a brand and product provider, showing the ease of shopping and buying through their website and through their experts available by phone.

The takeaway should be that FastGrowingTrees.com will be the customer’s best and only source to meet their home-scaping (outdoor/indoor) needs through the highest-quality, best cared for, and most comprehensive selection of trees, shrubs, and plants—delivered directly to their door in days.

DELIVERABLES:

• Two :15 videos (16x9 and 1x1)

TIMELINE: Although you could film both :15 videos in the same production time frame, you must be confident that you could meet the location requirements (see EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES). For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.

EXPOSURE: Digital channels and potentially broadcast.

TARGET AUDIENCE: This is primarily aimed at homeowners between 35-64 years old with land or a yard, whose household income is $75K+, who enjoy the beauty of their yard and home, and like to learn more about being a better gardener (no matter what skill level).

TONE:

• Engaging, relatable. 
• FastGrowingTrees.com is open to humor and want people to play with the sentiment "There's a Better Way!" 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• The videos should aim to communicate the FastGrowingTrees.com RTBs (reasons to believe -- see Background), offers, and ability to purchase at FastGrowingTrees.com.
• To reflect the target audience one of the filming locations should be an upscale home (East Coast / Mid-Atlantic style) with a nice sized yard. The other location could be in a studio.
• Yards should feel evergreen. Please don't show snow on the ground or fallen leaves.
• The pitch winner must provide videos of the actors (vs just headshots) for casting approvals. As the target audience skews 40-60, please cast accordingly.
• Please note that after receiving the trees, they need about a day or two out of the box to be in tip-top shape for filming.

OPEN BID: 

• This is an open bid project, so you will get to set your own budget proposal between $25,000 and $35,000 to produce both videos. The sponsor is interested in seeing tiered pricing options, so please feel free to submit various versions of your pitch at budget, target, and reach price points within that price range.
• By participating in this open bid project, creators acknowledge that the sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most open bid projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit bid, we will notify you in the event the sponsor decides not to fund any bids via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all open bid submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the sponsor and the project team.

Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, so please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We’re working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and our advice here is to make sure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline, while also ensuring everyone's safety.

If you’ve ever been in the market for a tree you know the purchasing process can be a massive hassle. You drive to your local nursery, meander through the greenhouse having no idea what you’re looking at, and wonder which tree could actually flourish under your care. After finally figuring out what you want to buy, you have to get said tree home, but you REALLY don’t want to ask your slightly strange neighbor with the pick-up. FastGrowingTrees.com provides convenience, speed, and simplicity for anyone looking to buy trees and plants. With a comprehensive selection of over 2,000 trees, plants, and shrubs, FastGrowingTrees.com has the right selection to suit any climate, location, and customer’s individual needs.

The personality of FastGrowingTrees.com is approachable, trustworthy, confident, hard-working.

FastGrowingTrees.com RTBs:

• Comprehensive Selection, Right for You: Over 2,000 trees, plants, and shrubs carefully selected to suit your climate, location, and individual needs.
• Unequaled Quality & Care: Our plants are sourced, nurtured, and cared for by experts who have only one goal in mind---enabling you to enjoy living better and living greener, guaranteed.
• Convenience, Speed, & Simplicity... Delivered to You: No waiting in lines, no messy cars, order online or over the phone…and plants shipped to your door in 1-2 days.

Taglines:

• We Keep You Growing

In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute the two distinct :15 videos.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, cinematography, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual videos.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the two videos and how you plan to approach them. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.

• BID / BUDGET (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project, so you’ll get to set your overall budget proposal. You can download the budget template here. The sponsor would like each producer to create two :15 videos with a budget between $25,000 and $35,000.
  
  
• SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the videos you intend to create.

• LOCATION (Optional): This should include location examples of where you would film.

• STORYBOARDS (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, shot list, anything that helps get your point across. You can download the Tongal storyboard template here.
  
  
• HEADSHOTS/CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Casting notes or concepts, headshots of actors, etc.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch. Also, test videos, animatics, etc. are welcome. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the sponsor gives the creator the green light to move forward.

The most compelling pitch will be greenlit, and upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment, the responsible creator will receive funding. Please note: the payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal. Please see the full payment schedule in the Assets section.

PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to filming, filmmakers must receive the below approvals from the sponsor. 

• SCRIPT: This project requires script approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. The sponsor may provide feedback on your script and ask you to submit a new version. There may be up to 2 rounds of feedback until a script is approved by the sponsor.

• HEADSHOT/VIDEO AUDITION: This project requires headshot/video audition approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. Tongal advocates for inclusivity in on-screen representation and diversity in casting. As a best practice, please submit three to four options per role with at least one of those options being a person of color. As the target audience skews 40-60, please cast accordingly. If the sponsor does not approve of either of your options for a role, you may be asked to submit two new actor options. 

• STORYBOARD: This project requires storyboard approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. The sponsor may provide feedback on your storyboard and ask you to submit a new version.

• LOCATION: This project requires location approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. This means you will need to submit multiple images of your primary filming location. The sponsor may provide feedback on your location and ask you to submit additional photos or to find a new location and submit images for that.

• WARDROBE: This project requires wardrobe approval before filmmakers move onto the Video Phase. You will need to submit descriptions and/or pictures of your cast’s wardrobe. You must submit at least two wardrobe options per role. If the sponsor does not approve of either of your options for a role, you may be asked to submit two new wardrobe options.

For your convenience, we’ve provided some helpful templates to use at your discretion. They include templates for creating a treatment, production budget, storyboards, shot list, call sheet, and a music cue sheet. Additionally, there are templates that will help you clearly present cast, location, and wardrobe options to the sponsor. They can all be accessed here.

CREW: Tongal supports inclusivity in all of our productions and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your production and post-production departments. To find crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.

REVISION REQUIREMENTS: Once the Video Phase has closed, the greenlit submitters will enter the Revisions Phase. Filmmakers will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the sponsor’s feedback.

MUSIC: Tongal has partnered with three premiere music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound, any of which can be used to source music for your video submission to this project. 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 separate Music Release Form. To learn more about using each of these music providers, click on any of the providers’ names above. 

If you choose to use custom/original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. If you obtain music from third-party catalog providers, you must purchase the appropriate license at your own expense and submit it with your license purchase receipt when you turn in your video paperwork.

ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: 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. In addition to the project files, you are also required to provide all raw footage. You are responsible for the costs associated with the hard drive and shipping.

For Tongal’s file delivery specs and any other questions you may have about post-production, please click here.

1. The preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 16x9. Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information about your work regarding the source, the creator, and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
5. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity, or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of the sponsor.
   
   
6. Submissions must not portray the sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with the sponsor.
    
7. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per phase.
    
10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final video based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.
    
    
13. The sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
    
    
14. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their videos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR a copy of a photo ID for all on-camera talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences, and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings.
    
    
15. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.