Hi everyone,
Recently I was in a venue doing some programming with my visualizer opened and the GM of the place asked if I could build him a virtual rig with all the weights, locations, etc... in the paperwork for future LD's and PM's who may come through and want to use and or modify the house rig.
Anyone have any experience with this and what would you charge(ballpark and/or ranges, you dont have to get specific) someone to build it?
Thanks!
Nice to know there are venues out there that care about having accurate plots!
It's difficult to give you a firm value, it's going to depend on a vast number of variables. First is how much you value your time, I would place producing accurate paperwork at a higher rate than a 'normal' gig (both as a lampy or as programmer); but also, how much do you like the venue and are you inclined to give them a bit of a deal.
Then the actual technical part of producing them. How big is the venue, how complex is their rig, how many fixtures in different positons. A black box will be a lot quicker to plot than a full theatre space.
Are they asking for you to also create a 3D model of the space? That can massively increase the time it takes, if they even have accurate floorplans availabe at all.
Guessing at how long it will take you is one way; or if you have a good relationship with the venue then you could give them an estimate but on the understanding that if it takes longer then the cost will rise.
What deliverrables are you and they thinking? just paperwork or the full capture project file? If it's purely 2D paperwork then you can build things a lot more quickly than having to get an accurate 3D world. It's also worth considering what the longer term implications of you building the file is. If they change the rig regularly (or occasionally) are they going to be asking for you to keep up with the changes? or would they have someone internally who can track changes and update files and paperwork.
Not sure if this helps at all. Personally, in the UK, I would probably be looking in the region of £500/Day spent on the project, which could be anywhere from two days to a week plus. For reference, in corporate, a normal lampy day rate is ~350, programmer from 400 depending on the show but with a lot of room to rise.
Thanks for the response on this!
You are pretty much where I was thinking too... Good point on the future changes and potential updates to the rig.
As far as deliverables, we've not really discussed that perse... I suppose I will cross that bridge soon enough though.
Thanks Again!
Cheers!