Background

Real Mothers. Real Stories. Real Life. That's Motherhood Maternity's ethos, and since 1982, they've had mamas' backs (and bumps) when it comes to what to wear, from belly to baby and beyond. And when it comes to pregnancy, Motherhood Maternity believes that all pregnancies are good pregnancies. So you do you, mama. 


Check out their style and vibe at their website!

Objectives

To say that pregnancy is a "journey" feels like an understatement to anyone who's been through the experience. Each month presents unique changes to your mind, your body, your soul, your guest bedroom-turned-nursery, your relationship with your partner or family, your views of humanity, and even your entire worldview... but that's just the tip of the iceberg. 


Pregnancy represents constant change for nine months of your life, and Motherhood Maternity is looking for a Tongal filmmaker to capture one person's pregnancy in a suite of videos that includes both monthly status updates as well as a final, long-form hero video that covers the full journey. You'll need to source the mom-to-be, and it could even be you or your partner; remember that you'll be working closely with this person for nine to ten very intimate months of their life. You'll also need to be flexible, nimble, and able to devote a little bit of time each month to work with your subject so you can capture some of the funny, surprising, hard, weird, and tender moments that your mom-to-be experiences. 


In terms of the videos you create, not everything needs to be polished and professionally produced: the brand is open to UGC and/or selfie-style content, more produced 'confession booth' videos, visual belly measurements, time-lapses, or really anything compelling that you can think of that helps express the different phases of this journey, and this singular mom-to-be's story, with authenticity. All this means is that how you bring this story to life is up to you, and Motherhood Maternity is looking for a unique approach when sharing how your mom-to-be is feeling, how her body, wardrobe, and diet are changing, and how her pregnancy is – and isn't – impacting her life, as she nears her due date.  


Since production will obviously be a long road on this project, your pitch should go beyond your creative approach, and discuss how you'd collaborate with not only your pregnant subject (or partner), but also with Motherhood Maternity throughout the project. Perhaps this is stringing out dailies after each check-in, or perhaps it's addressing your overarching POV on the monthly status update videos, or how frequently you'd have your mom-to-be share their own self-shot content (and how she'd capture it). This will be a highly collaborative project, so come prepared to play well with others!


Your proposed mom-to-be will need to have just found out about, or be in the very early stages of, her pregnancy. Depending on the comfort of your subject, a person trying to get pregnant through natural conception or IVF can also work, so long as they are comfortable communicating the viability of each attempt with the production team as part of the process. All of this is to say, though pregnancy is typically a 9 month journey, there is definitely flexibility for the right team. Your pitch video is a great resource for your mom-to-be to introduce herself to the Motherhood Maternity team. If you or your partners are currently pregnant, we encourage you to submit yourself as both the subject and the filmmaker if you're willing to document your pregnancy journey. We know committing to sharing such a personal time of life could be a little nerve-wracking for the mom-to-be, but her health and comfort are a top priority for Motherhood, so there'll be an opportunity for Motherhood's top selection to do a virtual meet-and-greet with the brand before committing to the project.


For additional information, check out the Background section below. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: There are *potentially* 38 total video assets and ten stills, but this largely depends on where your mom-to-be currently is in her pregnancy and on your creative approach, all of which will be a discussion with Motherhood Maternity in pre-production:

 

TIMELINE: Click here for the full project timeline. Please note that this timeline is a good approximation of how this project will flow; specific dates and milestones will be adjusted to align with the greenlit filmmaker and their subject's actual pregnancy journey. Regardless of where your mom-to-be is in her pregnancy at the time of your pitch, all final files will need to be delivered by early December 2022.

 

EXPOSURE: Motherhood Maternity website and social platforms. Please review the platform best practices page.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Pregnant and soon-to-be pregnant people; parents, families.

 

TONE: Authentic, Engaging, Sentimental, Humorous, Emotional.

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

 

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


Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, and we're now requiring a COVID safety protocol plan for all relevant productions. Please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We're working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and you should ensure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline and budget, while also ensuring everyone's safety.

Details

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.

 

Requirements

  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.