So it has come to my attention of late (and this was sparked by a Facebook post) in which someone anonymous posted -
"Does anyone have any suggestions what kind of lighting i would need for my reception and where do you hire them? I have a DJ but she's only bringing her sound system - no lights included."
It got me thinking about what people are actually paying for when they hire a Perth Event DJ for a wedding or even just hiring a DJ. I also think back to a previous blog post about Club DJs vs Mobile / Wedding DJs. You as a client are often paying top dollar for a DJ who doesn't bring lights for the dancing part of a night or who doesn't MC as part as what he does and has to charge extra for it? Its just total craziness.
Maybe I am old school (well I have been doing this over 25 years now) where I had to carry cases of CDs to my shows to ensure that I had anything that a client might ask for. I would carry speakers that weighed a ton and were painful to set up. Now days though, everything is digital and so much lighter than it was when I first started (yes I remember a time where we needed an amplifier to run the speakers). We carried good quality lighting which was globe based and often blew. But we had everything that our clients needed.
So lets help you understand the lighting better so that you know what to ask for and not get "ripped off" with the things you should expect when hiring a mobile DJ. Sure you go to a club where the lights are all installed. You go to a concert and there is lighting galore on the stage and usually light shows that make you a part of the scene. But for someone to give you just a sound system for a event or wedding and then you need to find your own lights... There are some DJs out there that have no lighting when they work and the videos that I see are so dark (which doesn't make the night pop out) of people dancing.
I once asked a well known videographer, what could I do to make sure that my promo videos I take on my phone look better. Simply he said was lights at different levels. So what did I do, listen to his advice. I have lights on the floor, lights on my desk, moving head lights and lights aimed at the roof. I provide at least a minimum of 6 lights with my basic package. These lights are not just the cheap lights on a T-bar (yes a reply to this post was saying that a basic T-bar with 4 lights was good enough - not in the slightest is that correct but alot of DJs have this as their choice of lighting) but good quality LED lighting which is more than bright enough to be noticed. If people book my upgraded package they get a faze machine which makes the lights come alive and you can see the beams which makes the effect so much more effective.
Wedding clients even get a custom light designed for the special day as part of my wedding dj package.
Please, when you are booking your DJ for your event, check and see firstly if they have lights and secondly how many lights they have. Take a look at their set ups... if it is dark, maybe move on and find someone that is going to help enhance the atmosphere you want for your night. Music and lighting make the night or break the night.
Gavin Poole
Groovy Entertainment (DJ / Owner)
Perth Wedding DJ