BACKGROUND:
Mars Petcare wants to communicate the amazing love stories between pets and their humans in a way that is emotional, funny, and heartwarming by making a brand new film. Our goal is to capture the indescribable feeling of love that we share with our pets. We are unique. We live in remote villages and large urban cities.
Our pets are just as unique. Some are shy, and some are boisterous. Some are big, some are small. However, no matter where we are, or who we are, there is one thing that bonds us all. The ineffable love we share for our furry friends is transcendent. This bond we share with our pets, as individual and personal as it is, is felt all over the world, by humans and non-humans alike. This feeling of love unites us, all around the globe.
Our goal is to capture this bond, by commissioning filmmakers all over the world to film a human and pet relationship, and bring this incredible feeling of love to life in a new film for Mars Petcare.
THE OBJECTIVE:
We are commissiong filmmakers in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia who have the ability to not just point and shoot the camera, but who can capture special, unique, moments between a human and their pet. We need the bond between the two of them to shine through the footage, no matter if the person watching understands the language the subject is speaking or not.
Once selected, you will work with the project’s director to capture specific shots from a shot list, and be provided interview questions to ask each participant. It is our goal to capture similar shots throughout each filmmaker commissioned, to create a dynamic edit linked together by similar shots that emote this unique and loving bond.
We need footage only, that you will upload via Dropbox. No editing is needed. Your footage will be combined and edited with other filmmakers to tell a cohesive story driven by voice over and the interviews you capture.
WHAT WE’RE AFTER:
For this project we are looking to highlight participants with cats or dogs only.
We want to capture intimate moments between real pet owners and their pets, with a focus on diversity of subjects. We want to commission artists with the camera, who are innately ready to press record when a special moment presents itself. The footage should feel spontaneous and real, and we welcome creative input based on the shot lists you’ll receive.
Whether it’s the subject whispering “I love you” to their Poodle in French, or a person slowly petting the back of their purring Tabby in Beijing, we want filmmakers who know when and how to capture these unique moments.
We want pet owners to speak to their pets, and give them sets of commands (sit/stay/come) in their native language. How does your pet owner speak with their pet when no one is around? This is the type of stuff we want to capture.
When thinking about potential subjects to film, ask yourself “what makes them unique?” It could be their relationship, the age of the subjects, their environment, how they became connected, etc. Maybe the potential participant is just comfortable on camera and has a cute pet! Diversity among participants, as well as pets, is key. We would like the subjects to be non-English speaking, or English speaking with a non-American dialect.
Here are some examples of potential participants to get you thinking:
- A elderly woman relies on her pet to keep her company.
- A surfer lives on the beach with their pet, who loves the water.
- A man with a disability relies on their pet for everyday tasks.
- An owner’s pet is a local celebrity in the small town where they both live.
- A pet was the owner’s companion when they were enduring a particularly tragic moment.
- A city pet and their owner both enjoy the same daily activity.
TO BE SELECTED:
To be selected, please send the following as a single document, and you may just bullet point the information, if you wish.
- Send a few pictures of your subject, their pet, and their environment (home, town, surroundings) so we can get a sense of: who, what, and where you will film them.
- Explain in a short paragraph what makes your subject’s relationship with their pet unique.
- Include where you are located, and the language the participant will be speaking.
- Include what production gear you have access to.
- Include a link to your reel or previous work.
PRODUCTION SPECIFICS:
These stories will then be combined to make a two minute long film about the unique relationship between a pet and their owner for Mars Petcare.
- These shoots have been conceptualized so they can be accomplished by a one person crew, in one shooting day.
- Footage should be shot in 4K (UHD, 3840X2160)
- DSLR, DSLR with stabilization (Ronin S), cinema video cameras preferred. However, we might also require a few shots via an iPhone or similar smartphone.
- Camera should be able to capture internal sound, or via an on camera shotgun mic (preferred).
- The interview audio should be captured using a lavalier microphone attached to the subject. The interviews will be utilized for their audio only. We want the actual film to be made entirely of b-roll.
- You may submit more than one potential subject, and have the opportunity to film more than one person, if selected.
- If you plan on submitting multiple subjects, please keep them to the same document.
BUDGET:
- Total budget is 1250USD for each subject filmed.
- We see this broken down as 1000USD for your footage, which should take one day of filming, plus 250USD allocated for the subject filmed. However, you are able to allocate this budget however you see fit. You will invoice for 1250USD total. This is a flat fee. Additional invoice items for things like meals and transportation miles will not be accepted for this project.
PROJECT TIMELINE and WORKFLOW:
July 2nd - Proposal submission deadline
July 7th - Filmmakers selected
July 8th - Filmmakers given shot lists and detailed instructions, potential phone call with the director before filming.
July 15th - Footage due via Dropbox