There's something about seeing life behind sepia-tinted glasses that makes everything you do look better. Suddenly, your homemade salad looks straight out of Bobby Flay's kitchen. And your backyard? Straight off the front covers of Town and Country!

And as we all know, overzealous foodies and wannabe designers are less than half the fun of Instagram. How about all those pictures you’ve taken during those late nights out that you just had to share? Ah, the tasteful and the tasteless…

Now imagine these mobile masterworks hanging in someone’s McMansion or your own! Not only admired as art but also earning you some extra dough on the side.

Instaprints allows anyone to buy and sell their Instagram photos as framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, and more. Create an endless supply of unique and affordable artwork — all powered by you!

Working with Tongal, Instaprints is looking for your Ideas, Pitches and Videos for TV commercials to spread the word about the brand and generate awareness about the site. Think about the millions of smartphone users out there and how they could leverage instaprints.com. While filters make taking beautiful pictures look easy, Instaprints makes creating beautiful art masterpieces look easy.

The primary goal of this project is to produce a funny TV commercial to introduce viewers to instaprints.com. The two main objectives are:

1.) The commercial should focus on the concept that you can turn smartphone photos into artwork for your walls (e.g. canvas prints, framed prints, etc.).

2.) The Commercial should be very, very, very funny.

-- Key Marketing Messages:

• Turn your smartphone photos into a work of art.

• Instaprints is funny… Instaprints is hip… Instaprints is the place to buy smartphone prints.

• There are millions of smartphone users all over the world. We want them to know that there is a website where they can convert their photos into artwork for their walls.

-- Target Audience: Female and male smartphone users - teens to twenties.

-- Executional Mandatories:  

• Videos should not mention Instagram in dialogue or show the Instagram logo.

• The Videos do not need to mention the Instaprints brand. A brand approved bumper may be issued after the winning Videos are identified.

-- Tone: The Videos should be very, very, very funny and incorporate a smartphone image turning into a real-world print.

-- Exposure: TV and web

This project will be worth a total of $35,000 and consists of three phases: an Idea Phase, a Pitch Phase and a Video Phase. Be sure to read the following information carefully as well as the Official Rules.

PHASE 1: IDEA – Tell us your Idea for the “Instaprints Video Project” in 140 characters or less. Remember, an Idea (What is an Idea Phase?) is not a detailed script; it is a spark of inspiration, or a distillation of what will happen in the Video. As always, Ideas should be clever and engaging. The winning Idea creators will receive $500 each and a 5% one-time residual payment, if the winning Video is based on their Idea. (That means if your winning Idea is the basis for the 1st place Video, you will receive $750, the 2nd place Video $400, the 3rd place Video $275- see Video Phase Payout details below.)

PHASE 2: PITCH –  Submit your Pitch based on a winning Idea convincing the sponsor why you should be selected to execute a Video using:

• Text (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less summarizing how you plan to approach and execute this video.

• Links (REQUIRED): To your previous video work, show reel, etc.

• Images (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, scripts, casting notes, anything that helps get your point across.

• Video (Optional): This is your opportunity to show us what you're capable of. Test video, animatics, etc. are welcome. 

The TWO most compelling Pitches will be selected and will each receive $2,500 to help create their Video. The winner (upon submitting their Winner's Affidavit and IP Assignment) will also be GUARANTEED a winning place in the subsequent Video Phase. So, if your Pitch is selected and you complete the Video required, you will win (at minimum) an additional $5,500 (subject to deduction for a one-time 5% residual payment). For an example of an effective pitch, check out Erik Beck’s winning “3 Artists & 5,000 LEGOs” Pitch. All Pitches will remain private until after the winners of the Video Phase are announced and the Project is complete.  

PHASE 3: VIDEO – The TWO winners from the Pitch Phase will each create a 30 second video based upon their winning Pitch and all other creators are invited to enter a “Wildcard” (What Is a Wildcard?) submission that is not based on any winning material from the previous phases. The Judges will score all Wildcard submissions and the ONE (1) highest scoring Wildcard Video and the TWO (2) winning Videos submitted by Pitch winners will be scored to determine the standings for the Video Phase. Remember, the TWO (2) Pitch winners, along with ONE (1) non-Pitch Video creator, will receive prizes.

-- Video Phase Payout: Winners of the Video Phase will earn the following prizes: 1st place $15,000, 2nd place $8,000, 3rd place $5,500 (less any 5% one-time residual payments paid to Idea winners, as applicable).

-- Music: Killer Tracks is a leading provider of production music for use in film, television, advertising and interactive media. Killer Tracks’ music will be available to registered Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into official Submissions to this Project. No other use is permitted. You may only use up to THREE Killer Tracks maximum as part of your video Submission.

To use the Killer Tracks site, click HERE (killertracks.com) or on the "Killer Tracks" button on the right hand side of this page. On their homepage, click the red login tab in the upper right-hand corner and enter the following credentials:

Username: TongalMusicKT@tongal.com

Password:  duchess

Click login. We encourage you to use the “Themed Playlist” tab for exploring the catalog as it provides pre-curated song choices based on several popular themes. Alternately, use the "Search" tab to enter your own criteria. To watch a quick tutorial video on how to use the website, click HERE: (http://killertracks.com/tutorial/).

Once you’ve identified the song(s) you want to use, click the down arrow under the Actions column to the right of the song title/description. This will open a Download Manager window, allowing you to save the file to the location of your choice. Keep track of the CD#, Track #, Track Title and Composer(s) of the songs you end up using in the video, as you will need to provide that info once you turn in the final edit. Getting the right track can really help sell your video, so make it killer!

1. The Video MUST not exceed 30 seconds in length. 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 you win, you will also be required to provide a 1080p master file. 

2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of 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 Sponsor.

6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.

7. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.

8. Limit 5 submission(s) per member, per phase.

9. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.

10. In the event that fewer than 50 Pitches are received, the Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest for up to fourteen (14) days at their discretion.

11. 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.

12. You will be judged on how well you satisfy the factors contained in the Project Objectives pages, in the judges' sole discretion

13. Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished video 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, winning video creators MUST also provide Talent (including a photo for all On-Camera Talent), Location, and Music Releases for all assets appearing in the video as well as all project files, editing sequences and a QuickTime .mov file in uncompressed, Animation or ProRes HQ codecs at 1920x1080 to claim their prize.

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.