OVERVIEW OF THE BEST FIENDS ORIGIN STORY:

From the Green Glades to the foothills of Mount Boom, the small creatures of Minutia lived in harmony, until the night the meteor struck....

The meteor smashed into Mount Boom, bringing with it a strange force that transformed the Slugs who lived there into an army of greedy, greenery-gobbling pests. 

Now, the Slugs are taking over the world, munching a path through Minutia and sliming up everything they touch! But a brave band of heroes are fighting back! Left along when the Slugs conquered most of Minutia (and kidnapped some of their friends), these unlikely champions are on an epic quest to solve the mystery of Mount Boom and beat back the Slug advance. To get Mount Boom, they'll need to become....the Best Fiends. 

PRIMARY CHARACTERS TO FEATURE:

• Temper (Mite) - The self-proclaimed leader of the Fiends, this mighty mite manages to squeeze an awful lot of ego into a tiny frame. Temper is always hankering for a fight, which more often than not ends with the Fiends in hot water. On the rare occasions he lets his mask of self-confidence slip, however, he reveals that his bravado is mostly just a facade. When the Fiends attend the Temper family reunion, they see how worried he is that he won’t live up to his family’s long and illustrious legacy of famed warriors (and learn that their Temper might somehow be the humblest of the bunch). In time the other Fiends help him understand that the only Temper he has to impress is himself. 
• JoJo (Butterfly) - Dedicated, intelligent, and supremely capable, Jojo the butterfly is the true soul of the team. While some people wear their heart on their sleeve, Jojo wears her emotions on her wings, which change colors almost like the world’s most obvious mood ring. Of course, that can sometimes get the better of her, like when a secret admirer ends up not-so-secret thanks to her wings giving her away. Even though she’s 
• Kwincy (Spider) - This silent spider is almost always grinning, so we’ll have to consider him the group’s resident optimist, at least until he tells us otherwise. While no one’s sure quite how much he understands, he does seem to fart out a web at the most opportune (or inopportune) of times, getting the Fiends in and out of several sticky situations. Perhaps there’s more to Kwincy than meets the eye. 

SECONDARY CHARACTERS TO FEATURE:

• Gordon (Scorpion) - Born with a warrior's heart but stuck in the shadow of his formidable father, Gordon the scorpion can't wait to carve out his own legend in the war against the Slugs!
• Howie (Lizard) - Howie's taking his knowledge of the ancient art of lizardry all the way to Mount Boom. His powers are the key to unlocking its secrets.
• Bam (Caterpillar) - Long ago, Bam was uncomfortable with his fuzzy physique. Never one to give up, this heartwarming hero turned grooming his hair into an art, and is now the happy-go-lucky hairdresser of all the Fiends!

OTHER SERIALIZED GAME AD EXAMPLES:

• Lily's Garden
  • Pros: Character-driven, semi-serialized, dramatic soap opera
  • Cons: A little too adult-themed
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yztM2yKwDZE&t=1286s 
• Merge Mansion
  • Pros: Character-driven, semi-serialized, soap opera, mystery
  • Cons: A little too adult-themed (although less so than Lily's Garden)
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVSm6ezubFw 
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sFfJfZD0yM 
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US2fWKqkusU 
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84oIN6JBrkQ 

Best Fiends is an incredibly fun and engrossing mobile game where players help a motley crew of pint-sized insects & small creatures - known as the Fiends - fight back against the evil (yet mostly hapless) Slugs to return peace and balance to their world of Minutia. As the story goes, a mysterious meteor struck Mt. Boom in the heart of Minutia, transforming the slugs who lived there into a horde of greedy, grennery-gobbling pests determined to take over the world. As part of their world domination plan, the Slugs start kidnapping Fiends - and it's up to their other fellow Fiends to try to save them. It has all the makings of a true crime story, and Seriously - the team behind the game - is looking for two writers who can help tell that story in an upcoming animated advertising campaign that will encourage potential users to download the game to help solve the mystery of... who kidnapped the Fiends?? 

A big thing to call out here is that this story will need to be told without any dialogue. The drama and comedy in the storytelling will need to come across with visuals only. You can use text on screen if preferred (i.e. title cards, thought bubbles, signs, etc) - but there can be no spoken dialogue. Tone will also be critical here. Our target audience is very familiar with the true crime genre and soap opera type drama - so think of the common tropes of true crime and dramatic content (i.e. normal photos turning to negatives, ominous music, surveillance photos/footage, etc) and how you might be able to add a Best Fiends twist to it. Your script should be surprising, subversive, and a little sarcastic; it can be funny and/or dramatic. We've included some tonal comps for help in the Tone section below. 

Another major callout is that the individual videos (ad spots) meant to live within a larger campaign; while a single video should stand on its own, you should also have a vision for the connective tissue and overarching story that connects each spot together.  A viewer needs to understand each spot (the story + the CTA message to download) without having to see other spots — but, if they see more than one spot, there is continuity and connection among them. For example, does each story end on cliffhanger that is picked up in the next? Is there a recurring visual device that starts & ends each video (like a detective board)? What happens when a Fiend is found? And what is the larger arc made up by these smaller stories? How the pieces connect is up to you, but you will be required to expand upon that vision. While this project scope is for one script to start, should the Sponsor like your overall vision, you may be greenlit to write additional scripts for the campaign (with additional funding). 

In order to submit to this project, you will be asked to submit a :15 sample script for one video (ad spot), along with 1-2 paragraphs outlining your larger vision for the connective tissue of how this script could connect to others to expand the campaign. 

 

We've included some additional information about the Best Fiends world & origin story, along with which characters you should aim to feature, and examples of other mobile game advertisements in the mystery genre in the Background/Additional Details section below. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: 

• One :30 Script (to be developed from your :15 pitch sample script, funny and/or dramatic)

Should the Sponsor respond well to your full script, there may be an opportunity to develop the following additional scripts & materials with additional funding. Please note that this additional writing assignment is not guaranteed from pitching on this project. 

• Three Additional :30 Scripts
• Four :15 Scripts
• One 1-2 page overview of stories in the above scripts, how they connect, and where/how you see opportunities to expand for more stories outside of the scripts above

 

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

 

EXPOSURE:

• Facebook
• Google
• TikTok
• Ad Breaks in Other Mobile Games
• Digital Ad Placements
• Potentially TV, Connected TV, and Online Video
• Please review the platform best practices page.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• Prospective Best Fiends players; emphasis on women who are 18-50

 

TONE:

• Think “Minions” or “The Simpsons” – funny yet subversive and playful.
• Comedy should be rooted in the tropes of the true crime genre - think of the Best Fiends version of "American Vandal" or "A Very Fatal Murder"
• Tone is very important here! We want to see your comedic sensibility shine through in your sample script - especially without any dialogue. 

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Scripts must NOT feature any spoken dialogue. Text on screen is acceptable, but storytelling should be visually-driven on the whole. 
• Scripts must feature at least one of the characters outlined in the Background/Additional Details section below. You may not feature a character that is not included on that list. 

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a pitch. Though most projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit pitch, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any pitches via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.

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 or fewer characters introducing yourself as a writer.
  
  
• :15 SAMPLE SCRIPT (REQUIRED): A :15 sample script demonstrating how you would approach telling a Best Fiends story in the true crime genre. Heavy focus should be paid to telling your story with visuals only (no dialogue), and how you apply comedy to the true crime genre and Best Fiends origin story. Please submit your script as a PDF.

• OVERVIEW OF HOW STORIES CONNECT (REQUIRED): 1-2 paragraphs outlining your larger vision for the connective tissue of how this script could connect to others to expand the campaign.  For example, does each story end on cliffhanger that is picked up in the next? Is there a recurring visual device that starts & ends each video (like a detective board)? What happens when a Fiend is found? How the pieces connect is up to you, but you will be required to expand upon that vision. 

• LINKS (Optional): 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.
  
  
• 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. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor’s organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
6. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
7. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
8. 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.
    
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
10. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
     
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
13. 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.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
15. 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.
    
    
16. 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.