Home 2023 Forums The DJ Booth VJ Gigs and pricing

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  • #40689
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Well first of all a VJ is not only expected to do one form of visual (beamer visuals aka backdrops) but also lighting that matches the visuals on the beamer.
    Usually the fee for a VJ is directly proportional to the equipment he either brings or can use.
    For example: If I can make the visual backdrops, fixture lighting, moving lights, flower lights and lasers for a big stage show via a huge DMX controller then I can ask for a substantial fee.
    If I only do one little part and everything else has to be done by somebody else, however much art I put into it, the fee will be only a few nickles and they usually will try to replace me with someone who can do it all… and from the thread with the pictures from Milos the lighting was very poor and only a few cans…

    So from the perspective of a show manager you are not VJing you are a backdrop operator. You can get a bit more if the backdrops are unique (aka the things you show on the backdrops are composed by you either rendered by your own artwork or composed from original videos) if the backdrops are composed of third party material the fee again goes down.

    I know not what you like to hear, as I also know how much work is in this, as I used to do my own lighting and backdrops for my shows, but it is the sad truth that the salary for DJing was immensely more than for only VJing backdrops…

    #40697
    DJ? Spiral
    Participant

    Yeh I think I’ve been just using the term VJ as an umbrella term (not the best I guess) so I do apologize for that. I do like visual operator better. haha. But I did not add a visual backdrop for that show. I was just doing my dj set for that but yeh it was just some simple led par cans and 2 mac250 lights. Lol but to the contrary this is exactly what I would want to hear and thank you for telling it like it is. As the gigs go I was just going to focus on the visual backdrop, unique videos, third-party videos, live feed and such for the specific groups. In this case it would just be for my neighbor’s band and Milos. For the school gigs there are some wall mounted led screens that can be used as well. But for the band I did not get much info yet on the venues, mainly due to rain cutting our conversation short.
    Do you have a ball park estimate range from “only do one little part and everything else has to be done by somebody else,” to “If I can make the visual backdrops, fixture lighting, moving lights, flower lights and lasers for a big stage show via a huge DMX controller,” that would be fair? And thank you again for all your help.

    #40699
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Well the range is pretty huge.
    I had lighting guys that got below 10 bucks an hour (I would not get out of bed for that kind of money) and I had people for lighting shows that could program SciFi like lasershows and had their own rendered backdrops that go the likes of 10.000 bucks for a show/festival.

    Best thing is like with DJ wages. Talk to lighting and VJ crews around your area and ask around what they go for. You then can assume that as a beginner you should prolly come in a little lower than what they get…

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