Producer Bible · Pitch + Budget + Production Plan

Second Name

A 90-minute feature documentary set inside the prisons of the Emirates, where punishment is not the end, but the point of departure for reconstruction, education and a second chance.

Feature Documentary · 90' Development · Seeking partners Intended for: Netflix · Amazon Prime · Max (HBO)

Project One-Pager

Essentials at a glance
Logline

In the Emirates, a unique justice system turns convicted inmates into re-skilled professionals through education, therapy and social reconversion. Second Name follows three prisoners who are not only released from a cell, but from the weight of their own past, proving that a human being is not defined by their worst mistake, but by their next decision.

Format & scope
  • Feature documentary, 90 minutes, festival & global platform potential.
  • Access-driven, character-focused, visually cinematic, solution-oriented.
  • Series potential: 6-episode limited series expanding each pillar of rehabilitation.
Key hooks
  • Inside look at a justice model focused on rehabilitation, not punishment.
  • Three powerful arcs: hacker to cybersecurity analyst, smuggler to entrepreneur, fighter to artist and mentor.
  • Bridges debates around mass incarceration, human dignity and second chances.
Target partners
  • Global streamers (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Max).
  • Major documentary festivals (IDFA, Sundance, Tribeca, Sheffield, Venice sidebars).
  • Public broadcasters and social impact funds for justice reform.

Artistic Pitch

Premise & characters
Premise

We follow three inmates, Khalid (hacking), Maria (unwitting smuggling) and Amir (street violence), from the moment of conviction, through an intense rehabilitation program, all the way to their first day back in society.

The prison system in the Emirates acts as a social reconversion hub: structured education, professional training, therapy, art and long-term reintegration plans.

All three move from being case files and inmate numbers to fully recognized individuals, reclaiming not just their freedom, but their name.

Main characters
  • Khalid, 28, former hacker: convicted for digital fraud, re-trained in ethical cybersecurity; leaves prison as a legitimate analyst.
  • Maria, 33, single mother: caught in a smuggling scheme she never fully understood; rebuilds dignity and designs a small catering business to support her family.
  • Amir, 19, street violence: enters as the angry kid, leaves as a mural artist and youth mentor with his first public piece commissioned by the community.

Narrative Structure

Four-act feature spine

The documentary is structured around a clear, cinematic four-act spine, allowing both festival and platform audiences to follow a strong emotional arc.

  1. Act I — The Fall Conviction, intake, first days. Loss of identity, shock of the system. Establishment of characters and the Emirates prison context.
  2. Act II — The Fracture Therapy, group sessions, resistance. Confronting the past, guilt, shame and the question: do I deserve a second chance?
  3. Act III — The Reconstruction Education, work, art, responsibility. Building skills, building self-worth, designing a future plan.
  4. Act IV — Into the Light First day out. Job, family, community. The real test of whether the system, and the inner shift, actually works.

Optional expansion: 6-episode limited series, each episode focusing on a pillar — Law & Policy, Inner Work (Psychology), Family, Work & Skills, Spirituality, Long-Term Impact.

Visual Language & Tone

Ultra-cinematic & minimalist
Cinematic approach

Minimal, ultra-cinematic look: wide shots of desert and futuristic skylines, quiet interiors bathed in soft light, long takes in group therapy, close-ups on eyes, hands, letters, small rituals of change.

Soundscape: minimalist score, deep low-end textures, and the real sounds of these spaces, gates, air conditioning, footsteps, breathing, used as emotional tension rather than exposition.

  • Slow cinema energy
  • Intimate interviews
  • High-end festival look
Tone & emotional arc

Not a film about crime, but about what we choose to do with people after they have fallen.

We move from shock and denial to fragile hope and new identity. Each character has at least one irreversible moment of inner shift, captured visually and emotionally.

Final scenes are anchored in action, a contract signed, a hug, a mural unveiled, not in voice-over promises.

Market Positioning & Audience

Why now, who for
Why now
  • Global debates around mass incarceration and the failure of purely punitive models.
  • Growing appetite for hopeful, solution-oriented documentary projects.
  • The Emirates are increasingly visible as cultural and educational investors, and their justice model remains under-explored on screen.
Audience & platform fit
  • Viewers of The Social Dilemma, 13th and Inside the World's Toughest Prisons, but with a positive twist; character-driven docs.
  • Age range 15 to 65, global, urban, interested in justice, psychology, resilience and human stories.
  • Suited to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Max documentary verticals, and to major festivals (IDFA, Sundance, Tribeca, Sheffield, Venice sidebars).

Production Plan

Phases, schedule & workflow
Phases & indicative timeline
Production phases, indicative duration and key outputs for Second Name
Phase Duration Key outputs
Development 3–4 months Access agreements, character selection, research, script and treatment, financing package.
Pre-production 2–3 months Detailed shooting plan, legal and permits, crew and equipment, schedule, lookbook.
Production 6–8 weeks Principal photography: prisons, homes, city exteriors, B-roll, interviews.
Post-production 4–6 months Editing, sound design, music, color grading, graphics, subtitles.
Festival & delivery 3–6 months Festival submissions, platform negotiations, delivery of masters.

Timeline is indicative and can be adjusted depending on access windows, commissioning broadcaster or platform, and the financing calendar.

Key roles & responsibilities
  • Director / Showrunner: artistic vision, narrative arc, on-site direction of interviews and observational scenes.
  • Producer: financing, contracts, access, scheduling, festival and platform strategy.
  • DoP: visual language, camera, lenses, light; ensures the cinematic, minimalist look.
  • Field Producer / Fixer (Emirates-based): local coordination, permissions, logistics, cultural mediation.
  • Editor: structure, rhythm, emotional arc; collaboration with the director on rough and fine cuts.
  • Sound & Music: location sound, sound design, original score supervision.
Workflow & post-production
  • Acquisition: 4K, log profile, dual audio, redundant storage in the field.
  • Editing: offline in proxy, online conform in 4K; color grading in a professional suite.
  • Sound: clean dialogue, layered atmospheres, original score; final mix in 5.1 and stereo.
  • Deliverables: festival DCP, platform-ready files, subtitles (EN, RO and others on request).

Budget Overview

High-level structure, indicative

Below is a high-level budget structure. Values are placeholders and should be adjusted based on final scope, locations, crew size, travel and platform or funding requirements.

Indicative budget allocation by category for Second Name
Category Example allocation Notes
Development 10–15% Research, writing, access, travel for scouting, legal, pitch materials.
Pre-production 10–15% Scheduling, casting characters, permits, insurance, local coordination.
Production (shoot) 30–40% Cast and crew fees, camera, sound, transport, accommodation, local fixers.
Post-production 20–25% Editing, grading, sound design and mix, music, graphics, subtitles.
Marketing & Festivals 5–10% Poster, trailer, submissions, travel to key festivals, PR.
Contingency 5–10% Unforeseen costs, currency fluctuations, access delays.
Total 100% Exact figure to be confirmed (mid to high tier documentary).

A detailed line-by-line budget (Excel or Movie Magic) can be attached separately for co-producers, funds and platforms, including local crew rates, equipment, travel and insurance.

Financing Strategy

Partners & structure
Potential sources
  • International co-production with companies from the EU and MENA.
  • Selective documentary funds: national film centers, cultural institutes, EU programs.
  • Platform pre-buy or co-production: Netflix, Prime, Max, regional streamers.
  • Broadcaster pre-sales: public TV, international documentary slots.
  • Private foundations focused on justice reform and social impact.
Recoupment & rights
  • Clear recoupment waterfall, prioritizing institutional investors and pre-buy partners.
  • Territorial segmentation possible: global SVOD versus TV versus educational and non-theatrical.
  • Festival window to build value and visibility, followed by a platform premiere.

Deliverables & Technical Specs

For festivals & platforms
Picture & sound
  • Master: 4K (UHD), aspect ratio 1.78:1 or 1.85:1, progressive.
  • Color: graded, Rec.709, or HDR if required by the platform.
  • Sound: 5.1 mix and stereo, delivered as separate stems where needed.
Materials
  • Festival DCP (2K or 4K), with EN subtitles.
  • Platform-ready files (ProRes or other codecs as requested).
  • Key art, stills, trailer of 60 to 90 seconds, social media cutdowns.
  • Dialogue list, spotting list, multi-language subtitles (EN, RO and others).

Team & Contact

Become part of Second Name

We are looking for producers, co-producers, funds and platforms interested in building a powerful, solution-driven documentary about justice, rehabilitation and second chances in the Emirates.

The core creative team, director, producer and DoP, can be tailored to match the needs of international partners and local institutional stakeholders.

Get in touch about this project

Full credits, bios, showreel links and a detailed financing or co-production proposal are available on request.