VJing Setups and Booking Requirements

Over many years of experience, I’ve found that clear communication well in advance of the event helps everyone to be on the same page, to stay within our agreed upon budget, and to be fully excited about the amazing experience created.

Immediately below, you will find several basic ways we can set up for one of my VJing performances. Further below on the page, you will find the requirements for booking my performances. Both are equally important.

Technical VJing Setup Requirements

There are a lot of options for how to set up for a professional VJing show. I'm definitely open to discussing other options, but these must be discussed and agreed upon a minimum of two weeks before any event (one to two months for larger events with custom content creation).

Contact Carrie Gates

Simple Setup with Single or Dual Flat Screens

I’ve found that this setup is the simplest, most reliable, and most cost-effective.

Requirements

Projector

  • ceiling mounted, focused, colour corrected in advance of my arrival
  • minimum 3000 lumens
  • 16:9 dimension projection required
  • highest resolution available in the budget
  • please have the remote control available for easy access

Flat White Screen

  • can be set up behind or beside the musical talent
  • no sheets allowed
  • the bigger the screen is and the brighter the projector, the better value you will get for the performance
  • if you have dual screens, the video splitting is the event coordinator’s responsibility and must be agreed up on with me and tested in advance
  • dual screens should also have the same type of projector with the same bulb life, in order to get consistent colour

Cabling

  • VGA cable securely attached and routed to my seating area
  • cabling must be tested before I arrive
  • I will bring my own adapter for the VGA cable
  • HDMI is another option for the cabling but must be discussed and agreed upon in advance

Work Area

  • must be in a low traffic area, enclosed, or on the stage so that I can work without having too many interruptions
  • I must be able to see the screen clearly from my work station
  • small table area is fine
  • comfortable chair to sit in
  • secured power bar
  • drinks are not to be placed on the table where my computer is
  • jackets are not to be stored in my immediate working area

How to make me extra happy ;)

  • help me get introduced to the people I’m working with, especially the technical staff
  • the more I know about the music I am playing with, the better I can prepare a great set for your event, so please send me links in advance and/or introduce me to the musical talent beforehand, if possible
  • give me easy access to VIP areas – a lanyard with my name and role on it is strongly preferred
  • check on me every now and again to see if I need some water or a restroom break, especially for longer sets
  • if I need to take a short break, I need someone extremely trustworthy to watch my computer (and *not* to mix for me – I will play a longer looped clip on my break)
  • a shout out on the mic is always a nice touch!
  • I’d love to get to know you and your crew more, so if you go for supper before the event, please invite me along (I’m vegetarian and especially love Japanese food but can find something yummy pretty much anywhere)
  • tell me silly jokes :)

Video Mapped Setup with Custom Screens and Staging

Since all video mapping setups are unique, we need to discuss your specific vision and production schedule well in advance of your event in order to determine the best way to approach the technical aspects of the installation.

There are additional fees for setup time for this, please ask about my rates, which are based of the complexity of the staging design and whether or not custom visuals need to be composed specifically for your staging.

Below is an example of a video mapped setup I performed on for Skylab Records for The Librarian at The Capitol in Saskatoon.


Video Mapped Immersive Dome Projections

 

I have previously worked with the NEST Dome group based out of Montréal to create custom visuals and perform in a hemisphere shaped video mapped dome. It’s incredibly thrilling doing this work and I hope to do a lot more of it in the future, even though it is a LOT of work preparing such specialized material. If you would like to arrange for an immersive projection mapped dome experience for your event, please get in touch with me. In the meantime, please enjoy this video documentation from the NEST Dome crew from Motion Notion 2016.


Booking Requirements

I created this list of requirements so that everyone is clear in advance about everyone's commitments to ensuring that our work together goes smoothly. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these requirements.

Contact Carrie Gates

Travel

Transportation to and from the Event

  • all rides to and from the event, including any setup times, must be provided by the event coordinator or their delegate
  • drivers must be sober, timely, and polite

Long Distance Travel Coordination

  • all travel costs to and from the city where the event is taking place must be paid for in full by the event coordinator a minimum of one month in advance
  • travel that takes place over more than 12 hours will be subject to additional per diem fees to be agreed upon a minimum of one month before the event

Flights

  • all flight tickets must be registered with me, Carrie Gates, as the ticket holder
  • I am to be picked up at the airport within an hour of arrival and dropped off at the airport at the time of my choosing
  • all flights must include basic travel insurance
  • additional baggage fees I incur that are directly related to my performance will be reimbursed by the event coordinator no less than one week after the performance
  • for all flights over 6 hours:
    • window or aisle seat is preferred
    • vegetarian meal option must be coordinated by the event coordinator when booking the flight
    • an evening of quiet rest is preferred after long flights

Fees

  • all fees are to be agreed upon in writing before any promotion about the event is made public with my name on it
  • artist fees are non-negotiable once an agreement is made in writing and publicity about the event is posted
  • I reserve the right to a non-refundable 50% down payment on my artist fee, to be delivered two weeks before the event
  • all fees are due in full at the end of the event I have performed at (not the next day or next week)

Accommodation

  • I prefer being hosted in a hotel when possible. If a hotel is not possible, I am willing to stay at people’s homes associated with the event
  • accommodations must be clean, safe, and friendly
  • accommodations must be within walking distance to the event OR the event organizer must arrange safe and timely transportation for me to and from the event
  • hotel booking must be made out in my name two weeks in advance of my arrival and a confirmation number must be provided
  • for lodging with event delegates in the community, the full name, street address, and phone number of the person leasing the place I am staying must be provided two weeks before the event
  • I reserve the right to require references from anyone I am staying with and I have the right to leave at any time
  • if I feel that I must leave the place I am staying, for any reason, new accommodations must be provided by the event organizer
  • any place I am staying must have free wifi access and I must be able to come and go as I please at any time
  • security is a very serious concern for me as a woman and as someone who travels alone with valuable technology and artwork.
  • Please help me feel safe and welcome :)

Promotion

  • please do not use “Vj” or “Vj’ing” as a term – the correct spellings are “VJ” and VJing”, thank-you
  • please tag my Facebook Artist Page where appropriate in social media images
  • please list me in event descriptions exactly as you would any other performer (I recommend on a separate line below the musical talent)
  • if I am doing a VJing performance for your event, please refer to me as “VJ Carrie Gates”
  • if I am doing a different type of public appearance for you, please refer to me as “Carrie Gates”
  • the correct web links for me to list in publicity are:
  • please use the biography from my website OR use one of the shorter/longer versions found in this Google Doc
  • if you want to rewrite my biography in your own words for the event, please allow me to proofread it before making it public
  • if you need a head shot from me for publicity, please consult with me so I can give you the highest resolution version of the photo that we agree is best suited for the event (likely anything on my website is fair game, but I have many others that are not online)
  • if you want to list my affilliations or style genres on your publicity materials, please consult me for the appropriate wording, as this changes in refelction of the context of each event
  • you may use any of the video links from my Vimeo page to help promote the event, but please be sure to credit me
  • if you are interested in using my video stills in your posters or press materials, please consult me, as I may have higher resolution versions available for you than what you can find on my website
  • if you create print materials for your event, please save a copy of each for me for my archives – I’ve sentimental :)

Interviews

  • if you would like have me interviewed in conjunction with your event, I would be happy to do so, whether for print, web, video, radio, or live television
  • certain types of media requests may be subject to additional fees

Public Presentations

  • I have a significant history of public presentations (much more than what is listed on this website) and would be happy to discuss any ideas you have for panel discussions, presentations, or other types of participation in your event
  • public presentations are subject to additional fees

Panel Discussions

  • I would be delighted to participate in professional panel discussions about topics related to your main event. I find this type of public discourse very interesting and rewarding.
  • panel discussions are subject to additional fees

Documentation

  • I reserve the right to have any photographs or video taken of me removed from the public (hasn’t happened yet though!)
  • please tag my Facebook Artist Page in all photographs and videos associated with me
  • whenever possible, I would like to have some professional photographs and/or video documentation of my work taken and provided for me to use on my website, press kit, on social media, and in support applications
  • if there are professional fees due directly to photographers or videographers in the further use of documentation of me or my work, the event coordinator is to assist me in finding a solution that is considered fair to everyone