Congratulations are in order for you, citizens of the Tongal creative community. The world has taken notice of the outstanding work that you have done across hundreds of projects, and the doors have opened for us to do something together unlike anything we’ve ever done before.

Let us lay it out for you: AT LEAST one filmmaker is going to get their feature-length documentary green lit and have White Horse Pictures as their producing partner – all the way through the completion of production and (hopefully) through procurement of a distribution deal, bringing your masterpiece(s) to the masses...and earning you a share in the profits.

Yeah, this is once-in-a-lifetime type stuff. Here’s how it came to pass:

Back in 2009, Tongal started out by providing talented people the opportunity to create short-form branded content – to be judged purely on merit alone, whether you were in Silver Lake or Selangor, with or without a film degree. To us, your last name didn’t have to be Spielberg or DeLaurentis, we chose to be in business with you, because we knew you could deliver. 

And we've always believed in the power of great stories, whether tales of LEGO Super-Heroism or over-the-top stress-sweat anecdotes. We’ve seen you rise to the occasion repeatedly to find those stories and make them come alive.  This was work that was once solely the provenance of the Madison Avenue establishment, but we believed in your ability to write your own story. And lo and behold – you have.

You’ve empowered us to partner with White Horse Pictures – the producing powerhouse behind the 2012 Academy Award-winning documentary feature Undefeated. You may also know them as producers of renowned music films: Martin Scorsese’s documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan; the Grammy-winning Foo Fighters: Back and Forth; and the Emmy Award-winning George Harrison: Living in the Material World (another one by that Scorsese guy). AND NOW WHITE HORSE IS GOING TO HELP AT LEAST ONE (PERHAPS TWO!) OF OUR TONGAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PRODUCE A FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY!

So...how are we gonna pull this off?

You got it: together!

For specific questions, please refer to the Project White Horse FAQ.

Give us your Jiros, your Sugar Men, your Kings of Kong.  We’re Super-sizing the Tongal experience to empower and enable everyone in our community to find and describe unique, memorable, emotional stories, and energize our most passionate and talented filmmakers to bring them to the silver screen.

We’re all looking to spread our wings here.  We’re ready to find the great stories in whatever nook or cranny our Tongal community members find them.

First - we’re asking you to submit Subjects that would make a great feature-length documentary.  Then we’re going to choose the best five Subjects and allow filmmakers to Pitch on those Subjects (or ideas they come up with on their own, yes, there will be “Wildcard Pitches” in play) for the opportunity to flesh out their visions in a Sizzle Reel. The filmmakers who submit the two highest scoring Sizzle Reels, based on the stated judging criteria, will each earn the right to enter into a Production Agreement with Tongal, which includes funding towards the creation of a feature-length documentary. AT LEAST one of these two films will move forward under the terms of the Production Agreements (which will include access to additional completion funds) into the final stage with the guidance of Spitfire.

Take a gander at the Project Details for a full step-by-step breakdown.

For specific questions, please refer to the Project White Horse FAQ.

This project will unfold over four (4) main phases.  Phases 1 through 3 will be conducted as a skill-based contest, so you should review the Project White Horse Official Rules prior to getting started.  Phase 4 of this project will only be open to the Sizzle Reel winners and will be governed by the terms of a Production Agreement to be entered into by each of the winners and Tongal.

PHASE 1 – SUBJECT (OPEN TO EVERYONE): 

• Summary: Submit up to two ideas for a compelling documentary film. What topic really gets you going? Whose story do you want to tell? What real-life character needs to be brought to the silver screen? These can range from newsworthy subject matter to specific, local stories or life stories. You’ve got 500 characters of text and the option to upload photos and/or videos as part of your submission, so make the most of them.

-- Keep in mind, if your Subject wins you'll be required to submit corresponding releases indicating that you have the rights to the Subject. And take a piece of advice from your good friends at Tongal: it's a good idea to obtain rights before you submit - you'll only have five days to deliver any releases to Tongal once notified that you're a winner or we'll have to select an alternate. Many release forms can be found in the Winner Forms link. For example, if your Subject is a person, you should have them sign the Life Story Agreement. Depending on the nature of your Subject, you may be asked to submit additional forms evidencing you have the rights to the Subject before being declared a winner.

• Prizing:  White Horse and Tongal will select five (5) winning Subjects based on the judging criteria set forth in the Project White Horse Official Rules.  Each Subject winner will receive $1,000 and may be entitled to additional compensation equal to 5% of any net profits generated by the film on the terms contained in the Production Agreement.

• Conditions: Winning members must submit all rights documentation necessary (e.g., publicity rights, life story rights, property rights, etc.), as determined by Tongal in its sole discretion, to execute (or to allow another Tongal member to execute) on your great idea. Tongal members who submit Subjects and are not selected as a winner will retain all rights to their entries.

PHASE 2 – PITCH (OPEN TO ALL FILMMAKERS):

• Summary: Submit up to two Pitches convincing us why you should be selected to bring either (a) one of the winning Subjects from the previous phase or (b) any Subject of your choosing (a “Wildcard Pitch”) to the silver screen. If you submit a Wildcard Pitch, you must also abide by the Subject phase requirements. Please see the Subject phase summary above. Your Pitch must include:

-- Text: 500 characters or less summarizing how you plan to approach and execute your documentary production – and, if your Pitch is a “Wildcard Pitch,” don’t forget to include up to 500 characters of text (plus uploaded videos or photos) to convey your Subject idea (see Subject phase above).? 

-- Links: to your showreel, portfolio, or other previous video content you produced.

 -- Images: Concept art, storyboards, scripts, casting notes, anything that helps get your point across.

-- Video: This is your opportunity to put yourself in the room with Tongal and Spitfire even if you live halfway around the world. Use it wisely.

• Prizing:  White Horse and Tongal will select eight (8) winning Pitches based on the judging criteria set forth in the Project White Horse Official Rules.  Each Pitch winner will receive $2,500 to produce a Sizzle Reel based on his or her winning Pitch.

• Conditions: If you choose to create a Pitch not based on a winning Subject from the previous phase (i.e., a “Wildcard Pitch” submission), you must submit all rights documentation necessary (e.g., publicity rights, life story rights, property rights, etc.), as determined by Tongal in its sole discretion, to execute on your great idea. Tongal members who submit Pitches and are not selected as a winner will retain all rights to their entries.

PHASE 3 – SIZZLE REEL: (OPEN TO THE EIGHT PITCH WINNERS)

• Summary:  The eight (8) winners identified in the Pitch phase will each create a Sizzle Reel for their documentaries. Sizzle Reels must be between 5-10 minutes and considered a “proof of concept” for the larger documentary. Your Sizzle Reel should establish the tone, characters and narrative you pitched us in the previous phase. For example, in the Undefeated sizzle reel there were character vignettes and small scenes that gave the viewer a sense for the world of Manassas High School football, the main characters that would be featured in the film, and how Dan Lindsay & TJ Martin, the film’s directors, wanted to represent it aesthetically (a lot of that initial footage made it to the completed film).  All expenses (including travel and production costs) are at the discretion and will be at the sole expense of the submitting Tongal members.

• Prizing:  White Horse and Tongal will select two (2) winning Sizzle Reel creators, based on the judging criteria set forth in the Project White Horse Official Rules, and offer them Production Agreements worth at least $35,000, each with a potential for another $15,000 in finishing funds, to create their feature-length documentary film.

• Conditions: In order to qualify as a winner in this phase of the competition, filmmakers must timely submit all “production legal” documentation (e.g., talent, music and location releases, archival footage licenses, other clearances, etc.) for persons and property (including intellectual property) featured or displayed in the Sizzle Reel.

PHASE 4 – PRODUCTION (OPEN TO THE TWO SIZZLE REEL WINNERS)

•  Summary: Should the two (2) Sizzle Reel winners from the Sizzle Reel phase choose to accept our offer to enter into the Production Agreements, they will each receive a $35,000 production budget to execute and deliver a feature-length Director’s Cut of their films. White Horse and Tongal will evaluate these films and select one of the filmmakers to receive an additional $15,000 in finishing funds to create a Final Cut of their documentary (but if both Director’s Cuts are good enough in the eyes of Tongal and Spitfire, both will be “green lit” for a Final Cut and each will receive $15,000 in finishing funds). White Horse and Tongal will provide meaningful feedback and supervision along the way and Spitfire will attempt to obtain theatrical distribution for the film or films that make it to the Final Cut. If a winning filmmaker's film gets distributed, the winner will be entitled to receive additional compensation equal to 50% of Tongal's net profits generated by the film (less 5% to any Subject phase winner, if applicable) on the terms contained in the Production Agreement.

 -- Music: Noise/Racket is a Music Supervision and Artist Management company working with a select group of clients and artists to bring the best new music out into the rest of the world.  A selection of Noise/Racket music will be available to Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into Tongal members' submissions to this Project.  Tongal members are encouraged to browse the Noise/Racket catalogue, available by clicking on this link: http://www.noiseracketmusic.com/. If you are interested in using a track from the Noise/Racket roster, as described above, simply download the track by clicking the "download" button, which will initiate the music file download. You may only use 25 Noise/Racket tracks maximum as part of your submission.

For specific questions, please refer to the Project White Horse FAQ.

Logistical Criteria: These are the simple logistical criteria.  Simple but also imperative – please read these criteria and adhere to them!

• The film must be between 41 and 120 minutes in duration, including credits.

• The film can be completed over a period no longer than a year.

• The Subject should not require extensive licensing of archival footage, as determined by Tongal and Spitfire.

• You, the filmmaker, must be able to obtain all the necessary rights.

• Submissions must not include films or footage that you or any other person or company have previously exhibited in feature documentary form.

• Limit 2 submissions per member at the Subject and Pitch phases.
  

• You must be at least 18 years or older to enter.

• By submitting an entry, you grant and convey to Tongal all right, title, and interest in and to your entry and acknowledge and agree that Tongal shall have all ownership rights relating to such entry; provided that, in the event your entry is not selected as a winner of the Sizzle Reel phase, then all rights in and to such entry shall automatically reconvey to you.
  

• See the Project White Horse Official Rules for additional contest information.
  

Content Criteria: These criteria are going to require you to interpret them.  What does “compelling” mean to you?  What is compelling to you? But these are just as important as the logistical requirements – make sure you have good answers for each of them!

• Does the film have compelling characters? Will we care about them? Are they relatable? Are they unique?

• Is there an engaging story?  Is this a story that simply must be told? Is it dramatic and surprising?

• Is the subject matter timely?  Is the film relevant to forces shaping society and culture?

• Does the story have broad appeal?  Will the movie build a buzz? Is it likely to inspire conversation or curiosity?  Who will say: “I HAVE to see that one”?

For specific questions, please refer to the Project White Horse FAQ.