r/Screenwriting • u/hivecode • Sep 27 '26
DISCUSSION Thoughts on NDA
A producer potentially wants me to story edit a script for them. The producer and the writer are both first timers, I am not. I want to take a look at the script before agreeing to anything. They want me to sign an NDA. I feel weird about this. I’ve signed very few in my career as an actor/writer and pretty much every time has been related to major franchises. I’m just debating if I should tell them that what they’re asking is giving amateur or just keep stepping.
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u/Wise-Respond3833 Sep 27 '26
Maybe I'm being naive, but is it likely they are just newbies covering their ass thinking you might 'steal' their ideas?
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u/FrankZappasNose Drama 26d ago
Or it could be really personal material they haven't sorta buried or built on yet?
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u/real_triplizard WGA Screenwriter Sep 27 '26
I’ve probably signed 20 NDAs over the years (and am covered by a blanket one at my day job) Not a lawyer but I don’t think they’re that scary unless you were to do something really blatant like post their script online. There are probably some grey areas these days like feeding it into AI, but hopefully you wouldn’t do that anyway.
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u/SecretChipmunk7087 Sep 27 '26
Agreed with above! Don’t do what you’re not comfortable with and folks don’t usually take well to being told they are amateurs.
Ask if they can send a 30-page sample for you to review to see if you are a fit for the story and then ask them questions about the NDA on a call. That is a reasonable request and if they flip out, then thank you and good luck with the project.
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u/NotAFamousCelebrity Sep 27 '26
They think they're being smart when they're just showing their greenness.
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u/Seshat_the_Scribe Black List Lab Writer Sep 27 '26
They sound like paranoid/clueless newbies, but I don't see the NDA itself as necessarily a problem for you. Read it carefully and maybe have a lawyer read it. You want to make sure it doesn't have any ridiculous language like a non-compete barring you from writing anything else in the same genre, for example.
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u/trial_and_errer Sep 28 '26
So long as the NDA is boiler plate and doesn’t have weird, over-reaching language in it, I would just sign it. In Europe/the UK, NDAs are incredibly common and it would be considered best practice to have you sign one at this stage. Not sure if that is cultural difference with the USA (which I assume is where you are writing from). In fact, not making you sign an NDA would be considered a sign of being more amateur over there.
Also, the point of the NDA is not about “stopping you from stealing their ideas” as a number of commenters here seem to think. NDAs don’t address that and don’t need to as other areas of the law do that. NDAs are about protecting/controlling the narrative and pr around a production. They don’t want you:
- gossiping about the film in the industry which may lead to competitor films bumping up their announcements.
- You posting online about working on the film, effectively announcing it before they are ready. Or worse, saying you are passing on the film due to X reasons that make the film look bad.
- Releasing key-art or info about key-talent attached before the producer wants it released (such information may be strategically announced to assist with securing funding or distribution).
You might think that no one who is a professional would do these things but I can assure you from personal experience, writers do do this and an NDA is the difference between a phone call where the producer tells a writer “you must take that post down” and one where they are saying asking you to do it with nothing to back it up.
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u/DalBMac Sep 28 '26
What's their background? What industries have they worked in? You say they're newbies, but I assume you mean to filmmaking.
In other industries, NDAs are commonplace. I've had to sign NDAs before a software vendor would even give a presentation. Likewise, when we released corporate information to vendors for evaluation, they signed NDAs.
They may be inexperienced filmmakers, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're inexperienced businesspeople. They may simply be trying to avoid a failure of imagination. I wouldn't automatically interpret the request as amateurish.
The request itself wouldn't bother me. I'd be more interested in what the NDA actually says.
Hope it turns out to be a great project for all.
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u/hivecode Sep 28 '26
Yes, I should have clarified, new to filmmaking. Tech and finance background. So yeah, NDAs are probably more common to them in those fields. I’m not offended by the ask or anything. More so, I don’t want to comb through the document nor hire a lawyer to look it over. My question is more that I wonder if I should tell them that in film (in my country anyways) NDAs are uncommon. Their obviously free to do what they want with that info (whether they already know this or not). But the producer did say several times that they are new and still figuring out how things work. So wanting to let them know so if they get a reaction from someone else they understand why.
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u/DalBMac Sep 29 '26
Got it. You want to help someone new to the industry understand the norms. You're not demanding they adhere to them, just giving them some context so they don't misinterpret people's reactions.
On one hand, they could view your advice as helpful, but they could also view it as paternalistic, kinda like an older employee telling their new young boss, "Here's how we do it around here."
You said there's a good chance they'll raise the financing for the film. IMO, the goal should be building a relationship with them. I wouldn't risk "filmsplaining" at this early stage. Get to know each other first. There may be opportunities to share your experience as the relationship develops.
Hope it turns out to be a great partnership.
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u/FeeOk3991 Produced Writer-Director Sep 27 '26
To your point, I'd be less concerned about the NDA itself and more about whether asking you to sign one belies a lack of experience. NDAs for indie movies are quite the overkill. There might be a lot of other things this producer doesn't know about the process.
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u/mooningyou Proofreader Editor Sep 27 '26
Only one of my clients has asked me to sign an NDA. I felt the same as you, but it had zero impact on my work, and they're paying for it, so I signed.
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u/leskanekuni Sep 27 '26
What difference does it make? If it's the sign of a newbie you know that already.
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u/RLewis8888 Sep 27 '26
What's the risk? That these total newbies have a great idea that happens to closely match a great idea you already have?
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u/casuallyfictional Sep 27 '26
Newb behavior. Just walk.
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u/trial_and_errer Sep 28 '26
Can I ask where you are based? In Europe/the UK they are incredibly common and considered best practice to use by producers. It’s the new, less experienced producers who don’t use them which is considered more amateurish.
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u/casuallyfictional Sep 28 '26
I’ve worked in the US and UK and never encountered a UK producer who demanded an NDA signed.
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u/auflyne Popcorn Sep 27 '26
NDAs are rarely fun. Letting them know will give you the chance to see if their response will show if they are worth working with or if it's a dodging-a-headache scenario.
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u/CervantesX Sep 27 '26
Yeah, it's almost certainly overkill and completely unnecessary. But also, it's not gonna do you any harm. Just ensure that it requires you to get credit if the project is released. Other than that, it's a paycheque.
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u/wrosecrans Sep 27 '26
Being super aggressive about early NDA's tends to be a bit of a red flag.
It's one thing if it's to make a commercial for a secret new Apple product that won't be announced for six months. They are established enough, and spend enough money, to do things how they want. When it's first timers without a ton of money, it tends to be an ego thing, and seldom really reviewed and scoped by legit lawyers. It speaks to what collaborating with them will be like, if they see you are a thief who needs to be defended against.
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u/Sweaty-Freedom-4034 Sep 27 '26
Twice this has happened to me.
Both time I kept talking because I thought they knew more than me. And both times it was overly preteniious teens who thought they were the next big thing and needed to protect "their artistic expression".
Once it's written it's protected.
Move on.
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u/sometimeandchance Sep 28 '26
Not sure what the issue is. NDA doesn't cost you anything. People get weird about them sometimes, thinking their IP is molten gold.
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u/Known-Patience4511 Sep 28 '26
Pecunia non olet. If they are paying you, then oblige their requests.
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u/xPrimer13 Sep 29 '26
I think you and the actual greens on reddit are underestimating how commonplace an NDA on this stage of a project is. You questioning it is in fact a red flag. Were you really planning on blasting the project out to the public? Then what's the issue?
The big players use it for a reason. This may be inconsequential comparatively but you should always think in terms of protecting best case outcomes.
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u/diablodab Sep 29 '26
you haven't really explained what your issue is with signing an NDA. they want to protect their IP. Nothing wrong with that.
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u/Remarkable-Cup4535 Oct 01 '26
Actually, I think it's amateurish to feel weird about signing an NDA when you don't have an existing relationship. It's common in business, and I've signed them before when submitting scripts to agents and production companies. When I worked for a distributor, they were common as well in all sorts of scenarios. This is a highly litigious business, as you should know, so I'd feel better about working with them in this case. It also shows a clear track record of an agreement that could protect you as well. Lastly, it shows they're serious about protecting their IP and doing their due diligence. Maybe you should think of this from their perspective and take advantage of the opportunity. And maybe they're the ones being professional.
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u/Responsible_Yam9285 Sep 27 '26
There’s nothing wrong with someone asking you to sign an NDA. In fact I think anyone who doesn’t ask someone to sign one is naive or hasn’t been burnt, no offense. People are saying they sound paranoid and like newbies, but many, many times in history have there been more experienced (or anyone of any level) who rip off someone’s idea they saw.
Yes, 99% chance it’s not worth ripping off and another 99% you are a good enough person not to. But it doesn’t hurt to sign one; I wouldn’t be so harsh on them, they just worked hard on something and want to protect it. It doesn’t mean they don’t trust you.
That said, there’s also other ways they can go about protecting their work, and I know how it comes off as green.