For the past few years, the majority of posts on the Tongal Blog have been written by creators on Tongal through our always-on monthly Blog Open Call projects. We've continually been impressed by the wide range of subjects you’ve chosen to tackle so far, and know we've only scratched the surface of our community's collective know-how. Don't take our word for it, though, check out all of the great work under the ‘Community Guest Post’ tag.

Continuing in our quest to amplify the diverse voices and experiences within our creative community, we're inviting Tongalers to submit Blog Pitches ALL YEAR LONG! Submissions will be reviewed on a monthly basis, and if your Pitch catches our eye, we’ll commission you to write the final piece and publish it on our blog under your byline.

REFERENCES

• How I Shot a Music Video in My Bedroom for $600
• Creator Interview: Kelsey Taylor Helms PayPal’s Global Holiday Campaign
• Do Quit Your Day Job: Things to Consider Before Becoming a Freelancer
• What I Learned Making a Short Film About Periods

This project aims to identify and purchase up to FIVE original Blog Pitches that will then be developed into Blog Posts for the Tongal Blog, written by you.

Whether you’re bumping Kanye’s DONDA to stay awake or trying to keep up with Ariana Grande’s whistle register just for thrills, music is sure to play an important role in how you unlock and sustain your creativity. This month’s blog theme honors the sounds that have come to codify your artistic process. How do you set the scene for your process? Do you light a candle? Climb into your favorite pair of sweats? Or go for a run? This tip doesn’t have to be music-related; the choice is truly yours.

We suggest that writers focus their playlist selections (and writing) on a specific genre or creative activity or function.

Here are some examples of what we mean:

• Best Jazz Tunes to Listen to While Editing Videos
• Music that Inspires Animators: 5 Ballads
• Top 5 Tracks for Building Furniture on Film Set
• Best Dance Tracks for Creative Energy
• 5 Songs to Reroute You from Work Avoidance

If your pitch gets the greenlight, your final blog submission should include a brief synopsis of each song on your list, your reasoning behind the selection, and ONE tip/insight for creators explaining how you set the stage for embarking on creative work

NOTE TO PITCH SUBMITTERS: The Tongal Blog features a mix of Tongal-centric information alongside more general interest topics related to creativity, entertainment, video production, and the lifestyle of independent creatives. Please study our Blog to understand the content we’ve published in the past - and avoid any topics we’ve already covered. Posts tagged ‘Community Guest Post’ were written by your fellow community members! Remember, if your Pitch is selected, you will be the one who writes the final blog post.

For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: A 500-1500 word Blog Post in a text file format (.doc, .odt, .rtf, and .txt file formats preferred)

 

EXPOSURE:

• The Tongal Blog and Tongal social channels. 
• We plan to award a MINIMUM of 5 Blog Posts each month and may choose to purchase more if submissions are outstanding.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: The Tongal Community and creators across the Internet - predominantly writers, filmmakers, directors, animators, editors, and producers

 

TONE:

• We are open to a wide range of tones, from amusing to serious

Submit your pitch for a future blog post in 1,000 characters or less. Your Blog Pitch should summarize what your final Blog Post will be about, demonstrate why the topic is a good fit for the Tongal Blog, and why you’re the right person to write about it. Please give as much detail about your vision for the final post that you can in the given space, including a preview of your tips and relevant takeaways.

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.