If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words would it take to describe 26 million pictures? The answer is one – Shutterstock.

Shutterstock, “The World’s Creative Marketplace,” offers high-quality licensed stock photos, vectors, illustrations and videos from thousands of contributors around the world. Whether customers choose a subscription or to buy images On Demand, customers love the simplicity and convenience of every image in every size being the same price.

Operating in more than 150 countries and 18 languages, Shutterstock has over 25 million royalty-free stock images in its database and more than 10,000 new images added each day. Shutterstock's subscribers range from freelancers to agencies, and from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Typical users include Graphic Designers, Publishers, Web Designers, Bloggers, Marketers, or anyone who needs to communicate visually. To inspire its users and make their workflow more efficient, Shutterstock offers innovative search and image discovery tools like Instant, Spectrum, and Follow. By removing the stress of complicated credit-based pricing models or having to spend more in order to get higher-quality images, Shutterstock offers a new way to be inspired, a new way to explore, and a new way to push creativity to the next level.

Shutterstock is teaming up with Tongal to create videos featuring four key markets (India, Germany, Brazil and the US) to raise awareness about its unique subscription-based service. We’re looking for Ideas, Pitches and Videos specific to each local market highlighting local tastes and communication styles and culture. Tongalers it’s time to show off your diversity, come embark on this global journey with Shutterstock!

What you need to know

- Idea Phase: Shutterstock is looking for Ideas that target each key market. Make sure your Idea embraces the culture of the particular market and is adapted for local tastes and communication styles.

- Pitch Phase: This is an international project and we are looking for filmmakers with strong backgrounds from each key market: India, Germany, Brazil and the United States. While you don’t need to be a current resident, or live in the key market you’re pitching for, it is imperative that you can find actors to speak the native language and are, yourself culturally fluent in that specific market.

The primary goal of this project is to produce a 30 second video to generate awareness about Shutterstock and to create a feeling of local presence in each key market (India, Germany, Brazil, USA). Each video should be adapted for local tastes and communication styles. 

-- Key Marketing Messages:

• Tagline: Shutterstock, The World’s Creative Marketplace

• With over 10,000 images added to its database daily, Shutterstock always has fresh and varied content from around the world.

• Shutterstock has innovative exploration tools like Instant, Follow, and Spectrum and is constantly innovating for its users. 

• We want to communicate that a Shutterstock subscription will literally change the way you design. It will create a personal library of assets that will save you time, headaches and stress, while taking your ideas to the next level.

• Shutterstock is a simple, convenient, and hassle free way to find images, vectors, illustrations, backgrounds, templates, icons and model released images etc. It allows for more creative exploration and high quality execution without escalating costs. Shutterstock is built for professionals and their needs.  

• We want to shift the idea that a Shutterstock subscription is about the number of images you currently use to the idea that a Shutterstock subscription is about the WAY you use images if you don’t have to think about paying per image.

• We want to shift the idea that stock images are low quality and pricing is complex. We want users to know that at Shutterstock they will have one single price to pay for any asset in the library.

• Please refer to this video as inspiration: http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/2012/05/brand-update

-- Target Audience: Graphic Designers, UX and Web designers, Publishers, Bloggers, Ad & Marketing agencies. 

-- Executional Mandatories: You may need to add a market specific bumper with a Call To Action driving to the Shutterstock website (shutterstock.com) at the end of your video.

-- Tone: Creative; Humorous yet respectful to local traditions.

-- Exposure: Youtube, Hulu, Social Channels or other local video content destinations. 

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 Shutterstock “The World’s Creative Marketplace” Video 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. Winning Idea creators will each receive $500 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 $375,  the 2nd place Video $375, the 3rd place Video $375, the 4th place Video $375) – see Video Phase Payout details below.

PHASE 2: PITCH – We are looking for filmmakers who can create Videos that embrace local tastes and communication styles from each of the FOUR key markets. 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 second video based on one of the winning Ideas for each key market. The FOUR most compelling Pitches will be selected and will receive $2,500 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 $7,500, at a minimum (subject to deduction for one-time 5% residual payment), and have a chance to compete for a $8,000 best Video Bonus. 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”. All Pitches will remain private until after the winners of the Video Phase are announced and the Project is complete.

-- Referral Bonus: Any Tongal member who refers one of the top four winning Pitch creators using the Tongal “Invite Friends” functionality (found in the lefthand column of your My Tongal page) will receive a 5% referral fee. That’s a potential $775 in bonus cash just for telling all of your talented friends about this project!

PHASE 3: VIDEO – The FOUR winners from the Pitch Phase will each create a 30 second video based upon their winning Pitches. The Judges will score all FOUR Videos and the best Video will receive a Video Bonus of $8,000.

-- Video Phase Payout: Winners of the Video Phase will earn the following prizes: 1st place $7,500 + $8,000 bonus, 2nd place $7,500, 3rd place $7,500, 4th place $7,500 (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 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 Shutterstock.

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

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

7. Videos must be in the native language  of the key market 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. Minimum 50 Pitches, or the contest may repost for fourteen (14) days at the sponsor's discretion.

11. 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.

12. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, winning Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their winning Videos, as well as a copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a QuickTime .mov file in uncompressed, Animation or ProRes HQ codec at 1920x1080 to claim your prize.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.