Weddings Pricing on your web site?

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jabo said:
How many hours is that Mike? Do those things happen simultaneously?
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2 readings of the script (2-6 hours)
2 or 3 evenings to attend production meetings (2-3 hours)
2 evenings to attend rehearsal (3-6 hours)
1 day to design (8 hours)
1/2 a day to do CAD drawings (4 hours)
1-2 days to supervise hang (sometimes) (2-6 hours)
1-2 days to focus (4-12 hours)
tech week
tech rehearsal (12-14 hours)
dress rehearsals (3 or 4 evenings) (5-12 hours)

Total: 42-71 hours

Mike
 
Esoteric said:
Depends on the show but on average...

2 readings of the script
2 or 3 evenings to attend production meetings (which last an hour or two)
2 evenings to attend rehearsal
1 day to design
1/2 a day to do CAD drawings
1-2 days to supervise hang (sometimes)
1-2 days to focus
tech week
tech rehearsal (12 or 14 hour day)
dress rehearsals (3 or 4 evenings)

Mike
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Thanks

It sounds like it takes over 50 hours for a 750.00 show. How much does a veteran light designer make because it doesn't seem like a lot of money? I'm assuming as you become known that fiqure is going to rise dramatically.

The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to make a comparison between a wedding DJ and a lighting designer.
 
Esoteric said:
You all provide entertainment for the reception.

Just like all lighting designers provide lighting for a production.

Mike
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Not even close to a correct statement. Pitchers on the high school baseball team throw the ball across the plate to a catcher, however they don't make the same money as the pitchers in the major leagues. Why? One of them is much better than the other and demands better compensation.
 
Esoteric said:
2 readings of the script (2-6 hours)
2 or 3 evenings to attend production meetings (2-3 hours)
2 evenings to attend rehearsal (3-6 hours)
1 day to design (8 hours)
1/2 a day to do CAD drawings (4 hours)
1-2 days to supervise hang (sometimes) (2-6 hours)
1-2 days to focus (4-12 hours)
tech week
tech rehearsal (12-14 hours)
dress rehearsals (3 or 4 evenings) (5-12 hours)

Total: 42-71 hours

Mike
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Dude, you are making 13 bucks and hour!
 
Ron Auger said:
Everyone needs advise. What you do with it is up to you. I've received great advise from people over the years.
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The best advice I could give, is get a grammer checker Ron... :sqlaugh: :rofl:


Sorry, I just couldn't stay out of this hot topic... :D
 
MIXSIRS said:
Thanks

It sounds like it takes over 50 hours for a 750.00 show. How much does a veteran light designer make because it doesn't seem like a lot of money? I'm assuming as you become known that fiqure is going to rise dramatically.

The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to make a comparison between a wedding DJ and a lighting designer.
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This is GREAT pay for 99% of lighting designers.

Keep in mind 2 things.

1. There are shows that pay more. I have done shows for as much as $2500, but those are few and far in between (think of it this way, there are 4 companies in all of Dallas, doing 4 shows each a year on average that pay this amount, that is 16 shows for maybe 25-30 designers that are qualified to do them). On the average a $750 show is great pay (there are some that pay as little as $300-$500).

2. This is not the only thing that most of us do. For example I also do moving light repair (at $40 per hour) and moving light programming (at $350 per day). But those are filler.

Now there are some designers on Broadway (maybe 10-20 of them in the country) that only do shows in the $2000-$5000 per show range. But even the members of USA (United Scenic Artists, the lighting designer local of IATSE) will often take $500 or $750 shows to fill in because of the lack of $1500+ shows out there.

I am probably in the top 5% of designers in Dallas as far as pay and my bread and butter is the $750 show.

Mike
 
SoftJock Rick said:
The best advice I could give, is get a grammer checker Ron... :sqlaugh: :rofl:


Sorry, I just couldn't stay out of this hot topic... :D
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Yeah, didn't proof read that one. Good thing I've got you sitting at home with nothing to do keeping an eye on things.:sqwink: Someday I'll be an English major. Someday I hope to bang Britney. Guess I'm not holding my breath for either.
 
jabo said:
Not even close to a correct statement. Pitchers on the high school baseball team throw the ball across the plate to a catcher, however they don't make the same money as the pitchers in the major leagues. Why? One of them is much better than the other and demands better compensation.
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Certainly. More skill, better equipment, etc will put you at the top of the pay scale for your area. However, no amount of skill or gear will let you set the scale in your area.

You DONT want to use baseball as an example. *lol* That is a bad, bad example as it plays right into free market principals. Just do some research about how many players are not signed or have to play for bad teams because they have priced themselves out of the market.

Mike
 
Sorry I don't take financial/pricing advice from someone making a fraction of what I make. No offense intended, but you are not in a position to comment. Like Dave Ramsey says don't take financial advice from broke people.

Jamie
 
Mike,

I certainly wouldn't begin to know what constitutes a good to a great lighting designer. But you seem to know all about our business and what a good vs. average DJ is worth. Or is it that you think you know what they are worth only by what you personally are willing to pay yourself? Seems like the same thing your clients are basing your performance and skill on, "money".

No offense here but you would not be one of my perspective clients. You are not the type of client I'm looking for. If you were in my area, you'd be searching for the many DJ's who offer an average event with the same results at an average price. Nothing wrong with that at all. There is a market for every type of client.

As I said, I know nothing about lighting design. To me it's just someone who hangs up lights and turns them on. Seriously, that's all I know about it. I couldn't begin to figure out how to price them. But then again I have no need for one at this time.

Can I give you some advice? How's that Rick? I don't really have any, I just wanted to correct my grammar.:sqbiggrin:


You DONT want to use baseball as an example. *lol* That is a bad, bad example as it plays right into free market principals. Just do some research about how many players are not signed or have to play for bad teams because they have priced themselves out of the market.
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That's called greed. They still have the opportunity to make more money than the average player based on their skill and talent. Doing what some have done is just plain stupid.
 
jabo said:
Sorry I don't take financial/pricing advice from someone making a fraction of what I make. No offense intended, but you are not in a position to comment. Like Dave Ramsey says don't take financial advice from broke people.

Jamie
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Who says I am broke? On average I make over $75 an hour, close to $100 an hour in a good quarter.

I just did a gig where I made $150/hr. I have an install coming up where I will make $4000 for about 10 hours of work.

Theater shows don't pay well, but you do them because they are fun and you get to make art and they fill in time. Rock and Roll pays the bills.

But hey, a lot of people ignore advice from people more intelligent than they are.

You are in good company.

Mike
 
The only difference I see now is that in fact credit given Lighting designers work with superior gear (even if they link DMX lighting with Microphone cable) and us DJs seem to be making more money with less time spent with inferior rated equipment.
 
Esoteric said:
Who says I am broke? On average I make over $75 an hour, close to $100 an hour in a good quarter.
I just did a gig where I made $150/hr. I have an install coming up where I will make $4000 for about 10 hours of work.

Theater shows don't pay well, but you do them because they are fun and you get to make art and they fill in time. Rock and Roll pays the bills.

But hey, a lot of people ignore advice from people more intelligent than they are.

You are in good company.

Mike
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I don't quite understand.

On the average a $750 show is great pay
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Originally Posted by Esoteric
2 readings of the script (2-6 hours)
2 or 3 evenings to attend production meetings (2-3 hours)
2 evenings to attend rehearsal (3-6 hours)
1 day to design (8 hours)
1/2 a day to do CAD drawings (4 hours)
1-2 days to supervise hang (sometimes) (2-6 hours)
1-2 days to focus (4-12 hours)
tech week
tech rehearsal (12-14 hours)
dress rehearsals (3 or 4 evenings) (5-12 hours)

Total: 42-71 hours
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On the high end that's $17.85 per hour. On the low end it's $10.56 per hour.
 
Ron Auger said:
Mike,

I certainly wouldn't begin to know what constitutes a good to a great lighting designer. But you seem to know all about our business and what a good vs. average DJ is worth. Or is it that you think you know what they are worth only by what you personally are willing to pay yourself? Seems like the same thing your clients are basing your performance and skill on, "money".

No offense here but you would not be one of my perspective clients. You are not the type of client I'm looking for. If you were in my area, you'd be searching for the many DJ's who offer an average event with the same results at an average price. Nothing wrong with that at all. There is a market for every type of client.

As I said, I know nothing about lighting design. To me it's just someone who hangs up lights and turns them on. Seriously, that's all I know about it. I couldn't begin to figure out how to price them. But then again I have no need for one at this time.

Can I give you some advice? How's that Rick? I don't really have any, I just wanted to correct my grammar.:sqbiggrin:
Click to expand...

There is where you are confused. I do not claim to know what anyone is "worth". "Worth" is a useless concept. I can think I am worth $100/hr, but if the market will only pay $50/hr, then that is all I am getting paid, or I am not working. No matter what I am "worth".

That is the problem, we are talking about 2 different things. I am talking about what a person would need to charge to work every weekend in a particular market. If in your neck of the woods you can charge $1200 a day and work every week, then by all means you should charge it.

But in the area where Ducky is, you (and I mean the specific you, not the general you) would not work every week charging $1200 a gig. Therefore you have priced yourself right out of the market. No matter how much you are "worth" if a person does not have $1200 to pay you, you will not work. "Worth" is a worthless concept (like the wordplay there?). *lol*

Sarah is "worth" in my mind about $10000 more a year than she is getting paid. But, the market has set the rate for her position and she has topped out. So, it doesn't matter. She either works for $10000 less or doesn't work (she is one of the best at what she does).

If you can charge $1295 in your area and work every week, great. But that would not fly here in Dallas I can tell you (not for weddings anyway), where a top fliht DJ WITH ambient and dance floor lighting (including real moving head lights) makes $1000-$1300 per event.

Lets get on the same page here. It will stop a lot of misunderstandings.

Mike
 
Jon Tuck said:
The only difference I see now is that in fact credit given Lighting designers work with superior gear (even if they link DMX lighting with Microphone cable) and us DJs seem to be making more money with less time spent with inferior rated equipment.
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The only difference in what? DJ's vs. lighting designers?
 
Jon Tuck said:
The only difference I see now is that in fact credit given Lighting designers work with superior gear (even if they link DMX lighting with Microphone cable) and us DJs seem to be making more money with less time spent with inferior rated equipment.
Click to expand...

Exactly! Which is why all the complaining about rates puzzles me. You guys make a killing for what you do.

Mike
 
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