Resolume Forum

Hello, Am wondering how VJ's usually charge for Vjing, by set? By night? Whats customary 2 hours 3 hours.
I use 75% original footage so I cant do really long sets....I have no clue there are 000 vj's where I live.
What does a beginer charge in Europe for example?
Also am unable to monitor on my PC when I go into double monitor mode, I have to look at the projection directly, does anybody have a clue as to why this is, I dont have a special video card, just the regular.

Thanks, VAnessa

The fee for VJ-ing is a much discussed issue. You may want to try to find your answer at http://www.vjforums.com

Sometimes we try to find out or predict what a club or other organisation is ready to pay for us. Depends on a lot of other things if we're willing to perform for an fairly low price. (things like: drinks included, name on site, flyers and posters, free extra tickets, hardware available @ the location, etc...) Our price depends on the kind of performance, the work we have to do at forehand (making dedicated footage and such), the location, the duration and the fun factor. Not easy. Two tips though: don't overpice yourself at first; don't do too many gigs for less than you would like to get payed. You might even mention at your first gigs that you're just starting, so your price is likewise. If you do too many cheap gigs, people will get used to that and will not very likely be prepared to pay you more...

The video problem you're talking about is a hardware specific problem. You need an Ati card or a matrox g400, g450 or g550 (all dualheads!) These cards support 'overlay' or DVDMax, which is the feature you're looking for.... theres some info on it in the support section and in this discussion section as well.

If you can't it to work just mail me, I might be able to help you.

i am in similar predicament as am just starting out. have done a few freebies but it's not something i want to make a habit of. i guess it's about having the confidence to realise the value of your work.

sticky

ps love that clip, got any more you'd be willing to share?

Hello,

I am a starting VJ in the netherlands, Tilburg.
Some good starters charge between 100 and 250 euro (thast +/- the same in $).
For me it also depends on how interesting a new gig is, can I learn? Is it cultural or commercial!

Vinz

The best approach by far is to say "I can work within a range of budgets - how much can you afford?" and get an idea of what the promotor has got to spend.

Do the bare minimum at that price (hard to do - we've fallen prey to temptation to add more kit and content for the fun of it more than once) and then once the promotor likes what you're doing. offer the promotor more for more money.

Dan.

end of the day, there is 2 sides, the promoter (always looking to spend as little as possible) and you (looking to get what you think your worth)

Both very rarely tie together...

Generic figures just dont exist, as every gig has a different budget, and will have more or less tickets at different prices, so NO 2 gigs are the same.

However as a new starter, dont, dont, dont overcharge. After all, you usually find after a few gigs, there is alot more to learn. Its a sliding scale, alot of people start off with 1 laptop (or even a desktop) and borrow of a beamer, playing out from a sparse content library with lots of sampled unaltered media.

Its a start, but not something you'll expect a promoter to shell out much for, just view it as experience and don't do it for alot of money. Then as dan says you can build content and kit along the way, if the promoter likes it, then offer more kit and content for more money.

The biggest thing is offering value, and that comes from making the best content, at the best resolution on a reliable setup.

In regards to the monitoring problem, if you have a card with no dvd max overlay, then you either have to invest in a new graphics card, or invest in a scan convertor.

Personally in a present state, I still think a good vj show relies on 2 boxes playing out via a mixer. Its just one of those things most of new vj's have to tackle early on, as no preview means your always trying to find a good visual sync. Editing tempo, and start / end points live for all to see never will look 100% over fading in or switching to another source thats ready to go.