It’s a crossover event unlike any other: the monstrous Darkseid has crossed dimensions to invade the world of Sonic the Hedgehog, in search of the ultimate power, and while Sonic and his friends have faced everything from mad scientists to ancient spirits, the forces of Apokolips may be too much for them... until the full heroic might of the Justice League arrives to back them up! Earlier this year, DC released five action-packed issues in this series, and it's been a huge hit with fans. With each new issue, comic book readers have had the chance to experience a thrilling new adventure featuring a star-studded cast: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg team up as the Justice League, and battle alongside Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Silver, and Shadow. As we head into the end of the year here, Warner Bros. Discovery wants to promote this fan favorite crossover to an even wider audience by producing a series of lightly animated videos that dynamically showcase the key moments from each issue for the DC Kids YouTube channel.

The goal of this project is to produce a 3-6 minute lightly animated video and a short teaser for each issue of the series, and while we'd frame it as a "motion comic," we're not actually tied to a particular format, and we're not looking for a direct 1:1 adaptation of each issue. Creatively, this is about finding a clever and visually dynamic way to breath life into a static medium, and to get viewers excited about the crossover by highlighting some of the best scenes from the books. We're focusing on key story points and big action sequences because a full adaptation - one with every panel and line of dialogue - would require a much, much longer video, and that's not a direction we want to explore. The ultimate destination for these videos is DC Kids YouTube Channel, but you'll see that the comics feel much more aspirational, so both teens and adult fans have responded to the series, and tonally, that means we're looking for something that plays well for a broader audience than just kids: we want something fun, exciting, humorous, smart, celebratory, and a little self-aware too. It's also important to keep in mind that these aren't advertisements, so we're not looking to include any marketing messaging or call-to-actions.

The format and complexity of the animation style that's involved is up to you, but we want something that feels lively and energetic, complete with stylized transitions, visual effects, and a smart use of text/speech bubbles. Think about what moves, how it moves, why it moves, when it moves. If all you've got in your approach is a hint of parallax motion when Sonic zips into a panel, you're probably not doing enough (although parallax effects are pretty useful, so we're not knocking them!). In terms of assets, you'll have access to the clean, individual, fully colored, high resolution comic book pages, as well as separate layers for the speech bubbles and text, but we do not have layered design files for each comic book frame, so you'll need to manually extract any elements to incorporate motion or other effects. 

In terms of the storytelling, we'd encourage you to avoid voiceover or dialogue, and find a compelling way to drive the narrative without any voiceover at all, especially since they may want to localize this video for other markets, and we want audiences to be able to follow your videos without audio. That said, the brand team recognizes that it may be necessary, so in the event that we do need voiceover, we'd want to look for a single, expressive, and versatile narrative voice, rather than trying to cast someone for all of the different individual roles. Beyond that, we'll also expect rich sound design and sound effects, with a compelling music track (or tracks) driving each video. You should expect to provide your own solutions on those fronts, as it's unlikely that we'll be able to tap into existing music or audio libraries from either DC or Sonic the Hedgehog, since the comic exists separately from other mediums where those characters appear. That said, you're still welcome to make requests.

In terms of video duration, it's more important that we have the best content than that we hit a particular runtime, so we want to the runtime to be a reflection of the creative approach, and the complexity of the narrative in each issue. Each issue contains about 20 pages of story, packed with action and dialogue. Narratively, it's on you to script out what scenes we capture in each episode, and how we capture them. You obviously can't rewrite the characters' dialogue, but it's possible that you may want to include some additional text (or narration), beyond the narration in the comics, so that the story in each of your videos is coherent. Outside of the main hero videos, we'll also be creating short :15 teasers for social platforms, in multiple aspect ratios, as well as one full series compilation, which is just a singular edit that weaves together all 5 of your other hero videos.

FOR YOUR PITCH: We've provided assets from the first 13 pages of Issue #1, and it'd serve you best to provide a short :15-:20 proof-of-concept video that can illustrate how you might bring this series to life. 

Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

DELIVERABLES: There are 21 total video assets.

• Five 3-6 minute hero videos (16x9), one per issue
• Five :15 teaser videos (16x9, 4x5, 9x16), one per issue
• One full series compilation (16x9), with all five individual hero videos

EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE

• Note that we'll need the video for Issue #1 delivered by Friday, 12/19, so the timeline for that initial delivery is accelerated, but after aligning on our approach for Issue #1, the remaining issues will be batched and delivered in parallel by mid-February, allowing you a little more time to work.

RELEVANT ASSETS: HERE

EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, as it is NOT limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.

• DC Kids YouTube channel

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• Primary: Kids, ages 6-12, and their parents
• Secondary: Adult DC Comics, Justice League, and Sonic the Hedgehog fans
• Secondary: Adult comic readers

TONE/FEEL: Funny, smart, authentic, good-natured, celebratory, and a little self-aware

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• You may not rewrite existing dialogue or write any new dialogue. 
• Although you can incorporate animation and other forms of motion, you should not include full 2D animation of the characters.
• Your content may not incorporate any assets (music, sound, voices, iconography, etc.) from DC or Sonic the Hedgehog content in other mediums (i.e. film, TV, games).  

In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors. Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include a budget with your submission.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and produce the content listed in the Deliverables.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A more detailed and specific description of how you propose to execute all of the content listed out in the Deliverables. Explain what we can expect to see, and how you'll make it. If it's helpful, we've provided a treatment template HERE.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, editor, artist, etc.) but 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 what you're capable of. Consider a video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect, or consider test videos, proof-of-concept edits, animatics, etc. For examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery.

1. 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. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
   
   
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. 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.
   
   
5. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p and formatted for the aspect ratios listed in the Deliverables (e.g. 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.
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. 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.
   
   
8. 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 creator.
   
   
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
   
   
10. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor, nor can Submissions contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
    
    
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
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.