Does the VJ always provide beamers & screens?

[DFUNC]

Hi,

my question is: Does the VJ always provide beamers & screens?

Because I couldnt afford to buy 2-4 beamers. Not mentioning buying the expensive lamps every second month. Who takes care of that. And who sets the stuff up? Who takes care of proper cables that do not distort the signal?

Thanks a lot,
Jan

[seex]

There is a few clubs who have everythnig set up, but unfortunaly only a few. Find a good renting deal for screens and the rest of stuff, if you get a lot of jobs jou culd offer qite a regular income to some renting company and that is worth some discount.

You can charge the club the difference and the time to setup and of course to take down the stuff. What ever you do you are always intitled to some technical help, at least this way someone else sets up the gear and is also responsible that nothing happens to the guests.

So setup by teling someone from the staff where you want the things and let him find the best solution.

You shuld definetly charge all the time you spend in the club plus all the expenses and your artistic fee.

[DFUNC]

Thanks seex,

another newbie question: Whats this thing with all that scratching and stuff?

Why are there so many guys that seem to be crazy enough to buy expensive scratch-gear. I cant imagine getting such a cool effect that is worth the investment.

Thanks,
Jan

[seex]

What do you mean, were you doing some weard searching?

How many ways can you scratch?

Im uszng a web cam and a motion capture module to scratch, its realy cheap and sometimes i let the crowd join in...Im plugign it on the dj-s hand next time....stil have a latency issue tough...

[WordVirus23]

it is a slow process of accumulating gear, it takes years, and tender loving care, as my poor equipment will attest to, I'm a uncaring harsh unloving SOB... I've gone through 3 projectors in 3 years... I'd rather buy a new projector than replace a bulb (...especially at current bulb prices)
[wtf?! you can buy THE SAME (watt/discharge/gas) bulbs at an industrial supply place for like 20 bux, however they haven't been encased in plastic retainers... do these people think we can't change a lightbulb?!? stupid captive market]

back on track: most projectors have bulb life of 2000-4000 hours, that's a LOT of 4-8 hour gigs, if you can't make your money back+ then you're doin' something wrong.

but to answer your ??s... I'd always thought that europe and the UK were better about this, but apparently not so much, here in the US, you should expect to bring most of your rig.

..james...

Originally posted by DFUNC
Hi,

my question is: Does the VJ always provide beamers & screens?

Because I couldnt afford to buy 2-4 beamers. Not mentioning buying the expensive lamps every second month. Who takes care of that. And who sets the stuff up? Who takes care of proper cables that do not distort the signal?

Thanks a lot,
Jan

[Kyle]

In Valencia I play weekly without a projector. The clubs and venues have them installed. The promoters who throw parties also have them. The only thing I bring is mixer, camera, dvd backup, and a computer. Oh yea and some lunch.

[vjrei]

Originally posted by DFUNC
Hi,

my question is: Does the VJ always provide beamers & screens?

Because I couldnt afford to buy 2-4 beamers. Not mentioning buying the expensive lamps every second month. Who takes care of that. And who sets the stuff up? Who takes care of proper cables that do not distort the signal?

Thanks a lot,
Jan

I have been VJing for 4 years and I never had a projector, I charge my money and I hire the guy with the beamers and there are incredible amount of reason for that.

1. Every location is differenet and sometimes you need 2 beamer or 1 or 3 and each location would need different lumens so... if you have 1 beamer you will need 2 for sure and so on. So, is better not to get a beamer at all.

2. My job is to create and manage content, I spent my money in cameras, computers, dvds, softwares, etc. Only content. If I get beamers that is a big investment and if there are not gigs I would have to find a use for them to pay them and that is another market like corporate shows and things like that.

3. I do not want to deal with instalations because that is another field. The funny thing is that if you charge let say $500 a night without beamers you can tell the promoter to rent the beamers to some one else and that person to do the isntalation, those are extra $300 probably. But if you offer the entire service (with beamers) they will pay you $600 at the most because of the package deal stuff.

4. Is better to get the guy with the best cables and projectors in the area, let them dedicate time to their business and you to your which is performance and content.

That is basically the 3 main reasons, then the lamps are worth over a year dude, not two months.

I know is complicated but you have to define your business, what you can do too is to find other VJs or to rent the beamer from other VJ, if there are 3 or 5 VJs around there is not need that every one have or 2 projectors, share ($$$) them between all of you.

I may get a projector for my self and to use in my place but not for work as such.

Now, all of this depends on the city of course. I work with corporate events and with production companies here in Miami as I did back in Venezuela so I have who manage those things. People ask me if I have the equipment and I say no and I give them the good reasons. But in New York is different and in other places too, so go figure

[many2]

I have been VJing for many years now and I never ever owned a projector or even a screen. When I began I used to rent them and install everything myself to save money but now I just tell what I want, how, when, and where.

Who are you ? A VJ or a someone who plugs cables and rig beamers ? I would add though that it is very important to do the rigging yourself to learn everything there is to learn about projectors, screens, power problems and interferences, etc. This way, when something goes wrong you know what it is and how to fix it.

[Mile]

I never provide the beamer & screens. It's just too expensive, especially for a 'beginning' VJ like me But maybe I'll buy a projecter in the future, they're not THAT expensive anymore

[akira_k]

Definitely not. I never bought a beamer or screen and guess I will never do it. I have an A/V company I trust a LOT and every time I get a gig I tell them to call them and arrange the rental of the necessary equipment.