LEGO believes that every young person has the potential to become a hero.
And we’re not talking about some grinning beefcake, taxing the limits of fabric and good taste in his space-spandex while battling a never-ending assembly of intergalactic bad guys (Well, at least today we’re not.)
No, today we’re talking about the real heroes that walk among us every day -- the heroes that risk their lives to save ours, the heroes that make sure our city streets and parks are clean and safe, that keep our transportation working safely and reliably, heroes that make the city work, and protect us from crime, danger, and sometimes, from our own carelessness.
How does LEGO inspire these heroics? All it takes is the combination right tools: LEGO City models, city vehicles, and mini-figures -- to play and build with; and the unlimited power of imaginations to put these heroes into action.
Do all this and you’ve got a great STORY! A story that could inspire the real heroes of tomorrow.
The Goal of this project is to create fun and involving 60-120 second Stop Motion Videos that inspire kids to play with LEGO City. Videos should highlight the breadth and limitless “cool potential” of the LEGO City theme, by exploring storylines that bring these everyday heroes to LIFE!
Creative should be told for (or from) a kid’s point of view. So let’s have lots of action, plot twists, and loads of fun, but keep the storyline at least somewhat grounded in realism. After all, were talking about THE CITY here: grit is good! And details are important, as LEGO is also seeking to bring depth to this line. Watch young kids play and you’ll see immediately that they have a great instinct for STORY. They don’t wait to develop the conflict…and they love being in control as the plot thickens -- thus the importance of specifically highlighting:
--Major Themes: LEGO City contains a total of seven major themes which you may work off of:
• Classic Police
• Classic Fire
• Space Port
• Trains
• Forest Police
• Forest Fire
• Great Vehicles
Or, you may elect to create a submission that employs a COMBINATION of themes.
--Tone and Key Elements:
• Humor – Humor is your catalyst ingredient: use it to turn the action and drama into a fun break-away.
• A call for heroes! – A strong call for action talks directly to the boys and adds a sense of urgency and excitement.
• Bumbling Crooks! – The crooks are everywhere, stealing everything -- regardless of its value...BUT they always get caught!!
• Plot Twists – Unexpected twists and turns will only make the stories more engaging, but don’t force it…these should feel natural to your story.
• Special Effects – While by no means a requirement, if it’s at your disposal don’t be shy in trying to make these cinematic.
--Brand Guidelines:
• LEGO City characters can only say “Hey!!!” or make noises; no talking (please reference the mini movies) http://city.lego.com/en-us/Movies/Default.aspx.
• Only yellow characters (no ‘fleshies’). Characters may have guns, but they never fire them, they hit the bad guys with them.
• No grim “Tarantino” violence, aggressiveness, profanity, etc.
• Do not use buildings or models that are not part of the LEGO City assortment.
• If you use a back drop, please make sure that they use the LEGO City skyline.
• You can mix themes together e.g. Police and Fire or Police and Trains.
• The focus should be mostly on Police and Fire when doing a mixed theme execution.
--Target Audience: Boys 5-11; sweet spot is 5-7 boys. It should be simple and humorous for a 5 year old, yet “cool” enough to potentially engage the 8-11 boys.
--Exposure: Videos may be featured on City.Lego.com, YouTube, LEGO Club DVD, LEGO Facebook page, and/or Cartoon Network LEGO property page.
This project will be worth a total of $25,000 and consist of two phases. Also, this tournament style process will progress differently from previous projects, so be sure to read the following information carefully.
PHASE 1: PITCH – Using text (500 characters or less), images (storyboards), video, and external links (to other supporting assets, i.e., your reel, etc.), give us your Pitch for how YOU would go about producing a Stop-Motion Video based on the project objective. You can tell a real-life story or create one all to be “brought to life in LEGO form.” The five most compelling Pitches will be selected and will receive a $500 production budget and LEGO City Production kit to help create their Video. Those winners (upon submitting their Winner's Affidavit and IP Assignment) will also be GUARANTEED to place in the subsequent Video Phase. So, if your Pitch is selected, you will earn a minimum of $1,500 with a 1-in-7 shot at the $10,000 first place video prize. Remember your Pitch can include any, and all, of the assets mentioned above, but you MUST include a link to some of your previous video work on Tongal or elsewhere to be considered for this phase. For an example of an effective pitch, check out Sean Clark’s winning Benjamin Moore “Find Your Perfect Color” Pitch. To avoid information cascades, all Pitches will remain private until after the video winners of the subsequent phase are announced. Alternatively, even if you don’t win the Pitch Phase or choose not to create a pitch, you will still have the opportunity to create a “Wild Card” Video completely of your own creative devices in the subsequent Phase.
PHASE 2: VIDEO – Winning Pitch creators from the previous phase will utilize their $500 advance to create a 60 second video based upon their winning materials and all other creators are invited to enter a “Wild Card” submission. Remember, the FIVE Pitch winners are GUARANTEED cash prizes.
--Music: Tongal has partnered with Audiosocket, a boutique music licensing agency representing more than 1,400 emerging bands, composers and record labels. Audiosocket tracks will be available to Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into Tongal members' submissions to the Monster Fighters project. Tongal members are encouraged to browse the Audiosocket catalog, available at http://audiosocket.com. If you are interested in using a track from the Audiosocket catalog, as described above, please email music@tongal.com for account and password info, which will allow for the download of up to three tracks.
1. Videos MUST not exceed 120 seconds in length. Preferred format 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.
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. Submissions should reference only the models provided by LEGO.
4. Videos must include an end bumper with the copy, “Watch more LEGO City movies or play online games at City.LEGO.com!”
5. In the event you utilize any third party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider, 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.
6. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of LEGO.
7. Submissions must not portray LEGO in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with LEGO.
8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
9. Limit 5 submission(s) per member, per phase.
10. Minimum 50 Pitches, or the contest will repost for 14 days.
11. Sponsor will be entitled to one reasonable round of 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.
12. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, winning video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, and Music Releases for all assets appearing in the video as well as the project files, editing sequence and an uncompressed quicktime .mov file in either Animation or ProRes 422 codecs at either 1920x1080 or 1280x720 to claim their prize.
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.