Being a ninja is hard work and Splinter has to prepare his sons before they emerge from the sewers to fight crime and protect their city. But sometimes, Splinter’s words of wisdom go in one ear and out the other. Yes, Turtles have ears!

We need your help to create LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PSAs so that Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael can learn the philosophies of a ninja and prepare to fight for the greater good of their city. So start honing your ninja skills and get ready for an awesome ride! BOOYAKASHA!

The goal of this project is to create a 30-60 second stop-motion animation Public Service Announcement (PSA) as part of a fun and entertaining social campaign to inspire kids and adults everywhere to jump into the mutant world and craft their own turtle adventures.

These can either take an earnest approach or be more tongue-in-cheek sendups of the classic 80’s-style PSAs. Consider the Turtles and their distinct personalities/roles. For example, Donnie, is smart and applies everything he learns to science and inventing some of the coolest gadgets, vehicles, tools. Or with Leonardo, he's the leader, and always tries to make good decisions while leading his brothers and watching out for them. You could even approach this as an opportunity to identify Master Splinter’s life lessons (in the Idea Phase) and bring them to life through stop-motion animation (In the Video Phase). Whatever direction you choose, you should show the turtles being teens, getting into trouble and having fun, all while keeping the villains at bay and be sure that your execution reflects the PSA characteristics of raising awareness towards a specific issue.  

Keep in mind that LEGO is: 

1.) Looking for humorous (but not silly) content filled with action, adventure and excitement.

2.) Videos should be sharable and raise awareness that there are LEGO TMNT models and collectible minifigures that look like “the real thing” for TMNT fans who may not have played with them before.

3.) Videos must not depict excessive violence.

4.) Characters are not allowed dialogue.

5.) Content should be appropriate for all ages.

-- Key Marketing Messages:

• Creative should incorporate the following elements:

• LEGO is the best, most compelling way to play in the TMNT fantasy world.

• Show that “mutation” is possible with every build.

• Demonstrate that LEGO TMNT delivers a brand new experience.

LEGO TMNT is about allowing kids to build out and role-play with the Ninja Turtles in their mutant fantasy world. “Mutation” is a key theme so let your creative ninja come out, and take your storytelling skills to the max!

-- Target Audience: The target audience is boys 5-8.

-- Tone: The tone should be humorous (but not silly) and filled with action, adventure and excitement. In no way should the content depict excessive violence.

-- Executional Mandatories: The videos must stay within the LEGO TMNT environment.

-- Exposure: Content may be featured on LEGO.com, LEGO YouTube Channel, LEGO Club, LEGO Brand Retail, and possible inclusion in DVD releases.

This project will be worth a total of $50,000 and consist 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 a LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Public Service Announcement 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. Four winning Idea creators will each receive $250 and a 5% one-time residual payment for every winning Video their Idea is used to generate. (That means if your winning Idea is the basis for the 1st place Video, you will receive $750, 2nd place Video $400, the 3rd place $350, 4th place $300, 5th place $250, 6th place $200) – see Video Phase Payout details below.

PHASE 2: PITCH – Using text (500 characters or less), images (storyboards), video, and external links (to other supporting assets, i.e., your reel, etc.), give us your Pitch (What Is a Pitch Phase?) for how YOU would go about producing a 30-60 second Video based on one of the winning Ideas. The four most compelling Pitches will be selected and will each receive $1,000 to help create their Video. Those winners (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 submit a video during the Video Phase, you will win an additional $4,000, at a minimum, and have a chance to compete for the $15,000 first place Video prize (subject to deduction for one-time 5% residual payment). Remember, your Pitch can include any, and all, of the assets mentioned above and you MUST include a link to some of your previous video work on Tongal or elsewhere to be considered for this phase. 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. Keep in mind, if you don’t win the Pitch Phase or choose not to create a Pitch, you will still have the opportunity to create and submit a “Wild Card” Video. 

PHASE 3: VIDEO – The FOUR winners from the Pitch Phase will each create a 30-60 second video based upon their winning Pitches, and all other creators are invited to enter a “Wild Card” (What Is a Wild Card?) submission that can be based on one of the winning Ideas or their own idea. The Judges will score all Wild Card Videos and the highest scoring Wild Card Video and the FOUR (4) winning Videos submitted by Pitch winners will be scored to determine the standings for the Video Phase. Remember, the four Pitch winners, along with the TWO (2) non-Pitch Video creators, 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 $7,000, 4th place $6,000, 5th place $5,000, 6th place $4,000 (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 60 seconds in length. Preferred format 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.

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, 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. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of LEGO.

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

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

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

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

9. Minimum 50 Pitches, or the contest may repost for fourteen (14) days at the sponsor's discretion.

10. Sponsor will be entitled to one reasonable round of 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.

11. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, winning video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, and Music Releases for all assets appearing in the video as well as the project files, editing sequence and an uncompressed quicktime .mov file in either Animation or ProRes 422 codecs at 1920x1080 to claim their prize.

12. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES SOLELY THE PROPERTY OF TONGAL – 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 WEB SITE 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.