Client Education: Uplighting Pt.2 - The Truth about Uplighting Packages
“No one who does lighting well, does it for nothing.”
Take a look at your Pinterest boards and the saved pictures on your Instagram… all those spaces were done with at MINIMUM of 20-30 lighting fixtures. Proper Coverage & Control is the key to creating a beautifully lit event space. If the budget DJ company you inquired with is offering a package of 12 or 18 lights for $295, $195, or free - is that a good deal? Is that enough lighting to achieve your vision? If you’re not asking the right questions, probably not.
27 uplights at the haytt regency clearwater beach by DJ Cory Barron - photo by limelight photography
Here are the questions you should be asking about uplighting:
Is that DJ also a professional lighting designer?
How old is their equipment?
What equipment are they using?
Based on the fee for lighting services, is that DJ motivated to do the best job for you?
Can they reprogram lighting onsite if you're not happy with the preselected color?
Can they change the color or dim the brightness of lighting when dancing starts?
Is that DJ willing to do an onsite consultation just for lighting design purposes?
Do they keep additional lighting onsite in case one or more fixtures go down?
For a professional lighting company - that’s hundreds of pounds in gear, one additional staff member, a delivery vehicle rental, hours of programming, consultation time, & over $10,000.00 invested in equipment.
Here’s a breakdown of pre-packaged uplighting offered by cheap DJ companies in a standard event space and
Proper coverage is the key to a well lighted event space.
Typical Pre-packaged uplighting options from cheap DJ agencies assume you are using a rectangular room. Here’s what those prepacked options are going to cover:
8 Lights: 1 Light per corner, 1 per wall
12 Lights: 1 in each corner, 2 per wall.
18 Lights: 1 in each corner, 3 per wall, and a choice of an accented entryway, or your cake table & your sweetheart table.
Why should you have to choose where you want the lighting and what areas should have to sacrifice being unevenly lit?? When a space is has been professionally designed and produced, there should be enough lighting to evenly cover every part of the room.
30 LEDwireless Uplights at the vinoy park hotel grand ballroom by DJ Cory barron
The bottom line is any professional lighting designer would never recommend less than 20 fixtures for any space. To have a space where you can’t control the lighting is even worse. This service isn’t cheap, but the impact it has on the event is priceless. Your photographer & videographer will thank you (and us) later.