Answering points / questions
etc...
We are happy to give them the tape,
gaff or
spike, as the alternative is charging them, which they won't pay.
Then they resort to blue or tan
masking, or electrical, all of which are a PITA to get off the floor after it's been stomped on.
This is an interesting one I hadn't really thought of - handing out
house tape because the rolls of tape are cheaper than the hours I have to pay the crew to re-varnish the
stage when their value-land crap peels up the paint. There is certainly a good logic to it.
We don't allow non
gaff style tapes on our floor for this exact reason. It is bad enough getting shredded 1/2"
spike up.
I make sure they know (by word of mouth and in a
house rules text) that
gaff/
spike and
dance floor tape are the only tapes allowed on any surface belonging to the theater, and not any duct,
masking or electrical tape.
I hadn't previously considered it but this is something that I might consider adding to our next tech spec. We actually have a varnished wood
stage rather than a standard black
theatre stage, as we're a sort of traditional appearance music
hall kind of place, not a
black box theatre. I should definitely put a clause in for
stage damage from cheap tapes
etc.
I always recommend adding a consumables charge to any rental contract. Figure it out based on past experience with the group or with similar groups. You may not always break even but should get close. And if the group dies not use any you just made up for the next group who used too much.
I've created an expendables fee that they pay based on my best calculations on lamp life, rep
plot gel, tape use
etc...
This is a route I'm leaning towards (explanation below).
Also, I want to know where you are getting
gaff for 7 bucks a
roll. Best price I have found is
BMI's
house brand stuff by the case @ 13 a
roll.
Since the OP called it "gaffa tape," one must assume he's not in the US. One suspects an exchange rate is in
play.
Not just exchange rate. Sounds like there might be a genuine cheaper thing going on! My exchange rate is a little out - it's more like $8. But we use Le
Mark MagTape Matt Xtra, which is pretty much what every
theatre /
venue / rental company in the UK uses for entertainment industry black gaffa. It is a completely matt cloth tape so no reflections under light at all and soaks up ink well so great for marking things.
http://www.lemark.co.uk/magtape-gaffer-tapes/default.aspx - I'm not sure if they have a USA Distributor or whether it's financially viable to ship from the UK or whatever, but that's the product...
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Comment / Explanation
So basically the options I saw for doing this were:
1)
Keeping a stock in a locked cupboard in my office and some kind of form on a clipboard so people can sign for a roll each time they come and get one and on the last day I tot it up and stick it in an invoice and give it to the PM for cash payment. The trouble is they will just turn around and say no. And if you say "well you can't use your crap tape, as per the
venue terms" they'll just say "OK we won't tape it". When the promoter is a client, I can't really get into an argument over it - it's not the
image the management want. You'd rather avoid disputes with paying clients altogether... but when the inevitable happens, a dispute over who pays for the sub-hire of equipment is fine - that's serious money. But over a
roll of tape? Nah.
2)
Give out cheap tape, use good stuff in-house. But the trouble with this is that (a) the saving you make is now even more marginal; (b) you have to justify the management why you have to buy more decent gaffa when there is loads of cheap stuff in the cupboard - and you end up using the cheap stuff too; and (c) you look a
bit of a douche-canoe when somebody says "mate can I just use your tape" and you say "no but I'll go and get a
roll of cheap stuff and you can have that" - it just seems a
bit petty to me.
3)
Stock small rolls. Buying small rolls seems inefficient because the cost per metre is higher. I think telling my techs, when a
roll (which is normally about 2" thick on the
roll) gets down to 1/2"
thickness, put it away and start a new one; so we can give the small ones out when people ask for tape... is not ridiculous. I might do that as well.
But mainly I think the solution is
4)
Add a consumables budget to the venue hire cost. The hire is already a substantial price. Adding a small $50 charge for consumables to the bottom, to
cover tape /
gel / wear and tear / lamp hours
etc seems like a tiny extra cost but helps us reduce our overheads as the expenditure is being covered. Of course some shows will use $100 worth of stuff but others will use $10 worth and it will probably all
level out in the end.