The Magicians revolves around Brakebills University, a secret school for magic, and it is there amidst a very unorthodox education in spellcasting that a group of fine-looking millennials discover that a fantasy world they read about as children is *quite* real— and also happens to threaten humanity as we know it. If it sounds familiar, it’s supposed to. The Magicians takes all the fantasy tropes we’re used to and completely deconstructs them. It’s dark, it’s wild, it’s f**ked up and satirical, self-aware, and unflinchingly pop-savvy. And that’s why we love it. If you want to know what's going on in the show, check out:

SYFY wants 1 logo video produced to celebrate the show through EACH of 3 settings, but each filmmaker will only produce 1 video, using a single setting. All 3 settings are below with visual references. If you want to increase your chances of being selected, submit a pitch for each setting:

FILLORY - A literal "world," this is a distant planet created by ancient Gods, as both the source of all magic (The Wellspring). Fillory is also the name of a sovereign state that rules over much of the planet's landmass, and which many characters in The Magicians rule over. Fillory's got a Renaissance Fair vibe like Narnia... if Narnia had a little more opium, bestiality, and regicide. Check out:
- Fillory Images
BRAKEBILLS UNIVERSITY - This is the premiere institution for magical study in North America, and you can think of it like a Hogwarts with sex, drugs, alcohol, and depression...which makes it kinda like a real college, with magic. Hmm... But seriously, Brakebills has a beautiful colonial-style campus in upstate New York, and it's classrooms, dorms, and quads are immediately recognizable to fans. Check out:
- Brakebills University
THE HEDGES OF NEW YORK CITY - The "hedges" is short for the "Hedge Witches," aka the magicians who practice magic without a formal education at a magical school. The realm of the hedges is the "real" world, and you'll find hedge witches working on magic and spells in safehouses, most of which can be found off the gritty streets of New York City. Hedge witches are largely people who didn't make the cut at Brakebills, so everything's a little sketchy. Check out:
- The Hedges & NYC
- Hedgewitch Tattoos

Below is a collection of other assets that might be helpful as inspiration:

Iconography:

The Magicians Logo for Season 5

Characters: (*Note: Some Files too Large to Preview)

Objectives

SYFY is the network for genre fans, and they live and breathe everything genre, no matter what genre we're talking about – science fiction, fantasy, comic book, horror, or some awesome mash-up. Since most filmmakers are genre fans too, SYFY has been been working on a monthly initiative where artists, animators, designers, and directors are given the chance to bring the SYFY logo to life in a series of artistic and incredibly stylish genre TV spots.

This month, SYFY wants to celebrate their original fantasy series The Magicians. The hotly-anticipated 5th season premiers this January, and they're looking to create a logo video that pays tribute to the past 4 seasons of the show, and showcase 3 different settings that appear in the show: Fillory, Brakebills University, and the Hedges of New York City. If you're not familiar with these settings, or not caught up on the show, we've included helpful info and some visual references in the Background / Additional Assets section beneath this.

The goal here is to end up with a stylish and highly visual TV spot that will bring the SYFY logo to life in an unexpected way, transforming the SYFY logo, or revealing it, in the process. This is not about a narrative so much as it is about creating a fun way to set up and subvert audience expectations, while using imagery from The Magicians that fans will know and love.

DELIVERABLES:

One :10 (or :15) video. Your video should be 16x9, but the action and SYFY logo should be framed so that it can be cropped for a 1x1 aspect ratio. If you prefer not to have your video cropped, you may deliver a second version specifically designed for the 1x1 aspect ratio.

TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets tab. Please note the production phase does fall over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

EXPOSURE: Videos will air on SYFY and also be posted on SYFY.com, as well on SYFY’s digital and social platforms.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult fans of genre content.

TONE: Funny, dark, scary, satirical, self-aware, magical, mysterious, nostalgic – The Magicians can be pretty f**ked up, so you can take this to some really interesting places. Make sure you check out the reference videos so you understand the tone.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:

Your video must include recognizable imagery from The Magicians, whether that means imagery of the settings, the iconography, the characters, or the actions. This is NOT about magic or magicians in general.
- SYFY will select one video for each setting: Fillory, Brakebills University, and The Hedges. Your video should only revolve around one of these settings.
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. Live-action is possible too, but must still feel stylistic and artful; not lo-fi or amateur executions.
You can use characters’ likeness, but note that should any characters be featured, likeness approval will be required and that may create extra revision steps.
Your video MUST end with the horizontal SYFY logo, and the logo should be on screen for a minimum of 3 seconds. It must end in the sizing reference position (which you can review, HERE). The logo must be distinct and readable and visually distinct from the background. i.e. the logo should not completely blend into the environment—it’s an essential part of the spot.)
- The design of the SYFY logo itself is open for interpretation though, and SYFY is specifically looking for your unique personal style and choice of medium to come through.
- The “walls” of the logo can be broken if you choose (i.e. a character stepping through the logo; a vine growing beyond the edges of the logo, etc.).
All work MUST be original, and should NOT include or reference any other existing IP than The Magicians. 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.
AVOID text or type that isn’t related to the S-Y-F-Y of the SYFY logo.
AVOID graphically violent or sexual images, or overtly political subject matter.

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.

TEXT (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this 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.
MAGICIANS SETTING (REQUIRED): Select which of the three settings that you'll use for your video. Note that SYFY will select a video for each setting, so feel free to pitch multiple times, on each setting.
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.
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, animatic, etc. are welcome.

Requirements

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.
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.
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.
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.
Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
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.
Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
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.
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.
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.
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.