If you haven't seen Back to the Future, we're just gonna say it, you're a butthead... unless... are you stuck in 1955?!!?! That's heavy. Either way, to reignite your love of the iconic film, check out the original trailer. 

If you're greenlit, Universal will provide you with fonts, logos, images, and approved music cues (from what we'd say is one of the greatest movie scores OF ALL TIME!) to help create your video. In the meantime, feel free to use the Back to the Future logo located in the Assets tab to help bring your pitch to life.

The Back to the Future theme song can be made available upon request at no charge for greenlit videos; please include where and how you plan to use it in your pitch.

Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me it's been 35 years since Back to the Future first premiered?! Great Scott!!! 

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Back to the Future franchise, Universal is inviting artists, animators, designers, and directors to recreate their favorite scenes from the first Back to the Future movie through animation and mixed media. I mean, who could forget the first DeLorean time travel scene, the part when Marty McFly plays "Johnny B. Goode," and of course, the climactic clock tower finale? These scenes are iconic! 

And we're talking any type of animation here - 2D, 3D, stop motion, papercraft, claymation, mixed media - anything can work! We do want to avoid live action, though, so put those Doc Brown costumes back in the closet. The more stylized you can be, the better! Heck, if you want to use this Playmobil DeLorean to recreate a scene in stop motion, we're all for it! (Unfortunately, we can't guarantee the toy version of the car will reach 88 mph.) Also, if there is a particular execution or stylization that's common to your region (i.e. anime, etc.) please feel free to submit a pitch in that style! 

Universal is looking for videos that represent a wide variety of scenes from the movie, so we encourage you to submit multiple times with multiple different scenes to better your chances of getting selected. After all, we don't want 8 videos just of the DeLorean. You can draw inspiration from almost every scene in the movie, so get creative!

 

DELIVERABLES:

• One :25 scene recreation video (16x9)
• One :25 scene recreation video (1x1) - You may simply crop your 16x9 video, or you may deliver a second version specifically designed for 1x1 if you prefer.

 

TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.

 

EXPOSURE:

• Social media - specifically YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Please adhere to platform best practices.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Fans of Back to the Future (...which is everyone, right?)

 

TONE: Celebratory, exciting, nostalgic, maybe a little mysterious, funny, or zany.

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• You should NOT use any actors' likenesses. Your character designs should NOT be recognizable versions of Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, or anyone else from the original cast. Highly stylized artistic representations of the characters are OK, as long as they do NOT look like the actors who portrayed them.
• You CANNOT use any music from the soundtrack that hasn't been specifically provided and cleared by Universal. If you need supplemental music, you may source tracks from the Universal-approved music provider Frequency (see more details in the Payment & Project Requirements section).
• This is for artists, animators, designers, editors, and makers;  any medium can work, but animated approaches tend to work best, which means there's a preference for 2D animation, stop-motion animation, claymation, creative motion graphics, mixed media, etc. 3D animation is acceptable, but hyperrealistic VFX work should be avoided given the timeline and budget.
• All work MUST be original, and should NOT include or reference any other existing IP than Back to the Future. Any persons, places or things rendered should be of the artist’s own creation and should not be referential of other existing properties.
• AVOID voiceover, unless it’s absolutely integral to the perspective of the storytelling in your video.

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 this video.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• BACK TO THE FUTURE SCENE (REQUIRED): Briefly describe the scene from "Back to the Future" you'd like to recreate in your video.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the video. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
  
  
• STORYBOARDS (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, shot list, anything that helps get your point across. You can download the Tongal storyboard template here.
  
  
• 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 creator(s) the green light to move forward.

1. 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 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. 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 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.