PLEASE NOTE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THIS BRIEF HAS CHANGED.
YOU SHOULD SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL BY MIDNIGHT (ie 23:59) PST ON SUNDAY 5th JULY 2020.
Concept
We’re creating a film for a much-loved pet food brand and we’re looking for filmmakers around the world to shoot various scenarios showing the diversity of pet-owner relationships.
Our film is built around the idea that our pets are what make home, home. This is a sentiment that is known and shared globally. We want to show that no matter where you are, or how much you earn, our pets offer more than companionship, they offer love, support and so much more.
Pets have the ability to make any space feel like home by just being there.
Home isn’t necessarily a building with four walls, home is a feeling, a feeling that is created by our pets. Wherever you may be, it feels like home, as long as you are with your pet.
Tone
Our film is an emotive manifesto portraying how our pets fill certain roles in our live, roles that we don’t even notice they are filling, but by filling them they make any place feel like home.
For example:
The welcoming committee: There is no better feeling than arriving somewhere to your dog greeting you by jumping into your arms.
The alarm clock: Having your cat bop you on the nose in the morning to wake you up is a great way to start the day.
What We’re After
We’re commissioning filmmakers from around the world to shoot short clips/sequences of pets and their owners for our film.
To be considered, please send in a short proposal, or pitch, of your suggested pet (cat or dog only) and their owner and the selected scenario(s) you think best suits them. We’ve outlined some of those we’d like to capture below, but you are welcome to suggest your own that you think we could include in the film.
In your pitch you should include a photo of your selected pet and owner, and any locations where you would film. Please also include links to any relevant work or showreels.
Suggested Scenarios:
A dog comes roaring excitedly around the corner to greet its owner only to slip and slide across the tiled floor.
A family (not European) are walking in the park with their big pet dog. The large and enthusiastic dog, upon seeing his owner launches himself into his owners arms to greet him.
A young man (not European) is busy napping on the beach, his loving dog runs up excitedly and jumps on him, startling him awake.
We see a large dog sitting on the couch watching the television with a young mixed race (or non-European) boy and girl. All 3 of them are watching TV together.
A cat settles itself down comfortably, directly on the keyboard of the laptop that a college student is studying on at a cafe.
Sitting in a lush field with a family (not European) we see a dog stands wide-eyed and dead still, gazing in fascination at a spread of delicious looking food on a picnic blanket.
A cat on a kitchen counter paws a spoon onto the floor for no reason, as cats often do.
We see a man napping on a hammock after a good night out, his cat rest peacefully on his chest, purring loudly.
We see a young Muslim woman with a head wrap on, visibly upset, holding her peaceful looking cat (being comforted by) in her arms lovingly as she sits on her bed, dabbing her mascara with a tissue.
Creative Direction
We want to capture the beautiful bonds between pet owner and pet (cat or dog) showing the quirky, beautiful and authentic love between pet owner and pet.
As the idea that pets make home, home, is something we share worldwide we want to portray a diverse group of pet owners from different parts of the world (not all European) and different economic levels (not all middle class).
Production value is of utmost importance, as important as making sure the moments we capture are genuine and represent the special bonds between pet owner and pet.
General guidelines:
- No logos or branding can be seen in the footage
- No nudity, alcohol or profanity in the footage
- Documentary-style, natural lighting
- You will be responsible for any insurance coverage and permits for filming.
- All usage for talent will have to be all media, worldwide, in perpetuity. The release form templates are worded accordingly.
- Any talent fees should be included in your budget.
- Once you submit your pitch and accept the Terms & Conditions this becomes the contract should you be selected. A follow-up production addendum will provide details on the deliverables, and roles and responsibilities.
Final Deliverables:
- Your filmed sequences only
Timeline and Process
Please send in your pitches of your pets and owners on a Word doc or PDF, and include any photos or links, by midnight (ie 23:59) on Monday 6th July 2020.
You should also add any links to relevant work or projects you’ve done before that would help give us a sense of what you would shoot. Our director will then select their favourite scenarios for us to commission. If you have sent more than one scenario there’s a possibility you could be selected and paid for those scenarios too.
You will then have a production period of one week to shoot your content (and provide release forms for everyone featured in your clips). We’d like options/different angles for each clip as we would like to see what works best in the edit. All commissioned filmmakers will receive $1000 for their content.
You can pitch more than one idea but please keep all ideas contained in one document.
Your proposal should consider the budget available as a fixed cost as you will be expected to deliver on your pitch. The fixed cost budget will need to cover all production elements.
The deadline for submitting your pitch is Sunday 5th July 2020 (23:59 PST)