OLIVER THE ORNAMENT:
You can check out all of the Oliver The Ornament books, as well as the ornaments themselves, HERE.
CHARACTER IMAGES:
Oliver the Ornament is an award-winning seven-book series about one family's collection of ornaments who actually have a life of their own (think Toy Story, but make it Christmas). Each book is heartwarming tale told from the persepective of one of the ornaments, Oliver, and tells a story about how a different ornament entered the family's collection, while also teaching children important lessons like kindness, friendship, forgiveness, and determination. Now, Tongal is producing a short proof-of-concept stop-motion animated video for Oliver The Ornament, and we're looking to cast some talented voiceover artists to bring the characters to life.
For this project, we'll be looking to cast several different actors to portray five different roles. In the minute-long proof-of-concept that we're developing, we'll meet Oliver and two of his fellow ornaments, who are anxiously unwrapping themselves inside a cardboard box in anticipation of being hung on the family Christmas tree - as the story unfolds, doubts, fear, and excitement build until they finally catch a glimpse of the family tree in all its luminous glory. The video will feature three ornament characters: Oliver, Buck, and Nellie, as well as the two human parents of the family that owns them, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson. We've included a character description and a corresponding line of dialogue for each character in the relevant assets HERE.
The lines of dialogue included in our relevant assets will be the script that should be used for your audio sample/audition. Your casting submission should include at least three unique takes on the line of dialogue for the character you are choosing to audition for. Please make sure to read the character descriptions carefully for direction on your performance. For the characters of Mr. & Mrs. Nelson, you may choose to audition for them, in addition to Oliver, Buck, or Nellie, but please submit as a separate submission or make a note on your submission that you are recording for both characters. Please also include a VO reel to your previous work that fits the tone of the character in your submission. Please DO NOT include a reel in place of a VO Sample/Audition, it's your performance of the sides provided in the relevant assets section that will determine if you book the role or not. The final video will only include a few lines of dialogue for each character.
This is a project intended for self-recording, as the budget does not accommodate for studio rental, travel, etc. All voice-over artists are required to have their own, high-quality recording equipment, capable of delivering isolated, dry signal (no reverb, compression, EQ, or processing of any kind) at 48k with 24-bit WAV files. VO sessions will be directed remotely via a virtual meeting. In order to be cast, all VO actors must sign a Tongal Talent Release. All recording will be done in one session, with an additional session for pickups (only if necessary).
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES:
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
RELEVANT ASSETS: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used as a proof-of-concept, all voiceover talent must be sure they review our required Talent Release before submission, as we CANNOT guarantee that usage is limited to a proof-of-concept.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Family-Friendly, Children, Nostalgic Adults
TONE/FEEL: Sentimental, Festive, Optimistic, Wholesome, Warm
AI USAGE: No AI usage of any kind is permitted on this project.
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll 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 project team.
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.