First of all, let us start from the top – an NDA is ‘A Non-disclosure agreement’. Contracts, forms, policies, and documents are not my idea of a relaxing evening. I will make a wild guess here and say that 99% of the readers probably share that opinion too. It is a common and well-known truth that creatives do not like paperwork – and that is completely fine! The job of the creative is to tell a story, share a message, entertain, educate, and most importantly deliver in truth. So when we consider the importance of voiceover NDA’s what comes to mind? Inconvenience? Protection? well, you would be right with both words. It sure does inconvenience but it is there to protect your client. But what about your protection? Let’s delve.
What Are NDA’s
A non-disclosure agreement basically means that if you agree to take the job, you take it under the terms outlined in the NDA. Typically one of the most common terms is to not share the nature of the project with anyone until you are authorized to do so by the client. Let us unpack this a little bit – Call of Duty is a popular video game most of us have heard of even if we have not played it. Roughly one of these games comes out every 18 months (approximately). So hypothetically as one game is due to come out, the next one will be in production. Imagine if a leak of the upcoming game for next year became knowledge to the public before the release of the imminent game. It would devalue the new release and it would ultimately damage the sales as well as the storyline.
Voiceover NDA’s
Often, voiceover artists will be required to fill in an NDA on a regular basis. Sometimes this is before a session, during negotiations, or even at the point of auditioning. It seems a bit obsessive having it at the point of releasing audition scripts right? Well, it is a bit tedious, sure. But it is all about protecting the assets and integrity of the company. The more people who know about the project, the more chances of a leak. The problem is, there is so much theory and speculation from fans any tiny leak can be viral within minutes.
Voiceover NAD’s Summary
So to summarise what we have explored: This has been an overview of what NDA’s are, how it works in voiceover, and why they are in place. In the next part of this article series, we will look at some of the contents of a typical NDA. This may include duration of usage, duration of silence, fees, and so on. The contents will be slightly different based on the circumstance of your involvement. For example, an audition NDA perhaps won’t have anything about the usage of the piece after being aired. This information will be in a contract or brief. To learn more about these topics and to continue following this series, simply click the hyperlinks. We will also address the subject of protection and your rights.
Voiceover NDA’s by Alan Shires
