# Enceladus Within: simpler installations and pricing

Prepared September 30, 2026 for Andrew's P002 request. USD unless another currency
is explicitly shown. These are concept allowances, not quotes or engineering
approval. No equipment has been ordered and no organizer has been contacted.

## The direction worth pricing first

Use a roughly 3 m unoccupied, diffusing sphere on a low ground cradle, with two
projectors, on dry land. This preserves the spherical object while removing the
vehicle interface, cantilever and overhead suspension from the concept. It is
still a custom outdoor exhibit whose restraint, wind limits and electrical setup
need review. Two projected sides are not seamless coverage of the entire sphere.

For a smaller cash envelope, use a 1.5–2 m hemisphere with one projector. For a
much simpler light sculpture, illuminate a moon from within; that loses projected
human imagery. A person beside the installation can participate without being
inside the display.

## Complete-installation comparison

Defaults: four event days plus two chargeable installation/removal days; $495
per projector per day; no rental discount; no existing-equipment credit; no
internal cameras; prerecorded content; 25% contingency; **tax excluded**.

| Layout | Projectors | Baseline cash allowance | Main distinction |
|---|---:|---:|---|
| A lit moon on the ground | 0 | $4,500–$13,750 | Lowest technical burden |
| Ground-supported hemisphere | 1 | $9,338–$21,463 | Cheapest projection version |
| Full sphere on a ground cradle | 2 | $19,300–$39,675 | Recommended first full-scale direction |
| Fixed in the truck bed | 2 | $21,050–$44,050 | Truck as scenery and transport |
| Freestanding fixed pedestal | 2 | $22,675–$47,175 | No truck, no overhead suspension |
| Hang from an existing approved point | 2 | $21,675–$44,675 | Conditional on a real host structure |
| Fixed truck cantilever | 4 | $42,975–$79,850 | No articulation; still a custom structure |
| Hang from a freestanding gantry | 4 | $36,975–$67,975 | Independent of the truck and host anchors |

The truck options assume Andrew already owns the vehicle. Vehicle purchase,
full artist salaries over development, land hire and dedicated event power
supply hire are excluded. Transport, on-site crew, ordinary electrical
protection, content setup, insurance and permits have explicit capped allowances;
these must be replaced with quotes. Each line is editable on the
[deployed pricing page](https://thatsnozorb.muchadoaboutoneside.com/pricing/).

The existing-point option includes $1,000–$3,500 for rigging and point access.
It requires an actual approved host structure; if unavailable, use the gantry
alternative. Neither trees, beach fixtures nor another artist's installation
are presumed available. Pedestal and truck-bed options support the sphere from
below; cantilever and hanging options carry a different structural burden.

## What each number means

The detailed source is [options.json](https://thatsnozorb.muchadoaboutoneside.com/pricing/options.json). Eight
non-projector allowance rows per layout cover the surface, support,
professional review, media/playback, electrical/support equipment, content,
transport/crew, and insurance/permits. Projector hire is added once, then
optional external capture, then a documented credit. The residual subtotal is
floored at zero, contingency applies to that subtotal, and a separate dollar tax
allowance is added last. Display totals round to whole dollars; export retains
unrounded calculation values. Low and high are planning limits, not probabilities.

The projector bundle includes its advertised enclosure and mounting system.
The separate support/power line allows ground interface, secondary support and
cable protection, not a second enclosure. Transport/install labor includes a
provision for vendor delivery; do not add the advertised delivery fee again
without reconciling that allowance.

A credit represents already-owned or donated equipment or services. It lowers
cash needed but does not remove the resource, review or labor requirement. A
single global credit applies to every layout; confirm its applicability and do
not double count it after editing individual lines. Edits live only in the page;
download JSON to retain an estimate. The supplied v3 workbook is unchanged.

## Observed market anchors

- **Miami Sound Rental**, checked September 30, 2026: its IP65-enclosed,
  truss-mounted 6,000-lumen Sony unit is $495 per 24 hours, delivery/setup from
  $240 per order. Six days therefore produces a $2,970 arithmetic anchor per
  projector before discounts, tax or installation. The catalog advertises
  15–30% multi-day discounts; no dates or stock have been reserved, so baseline
  discount is zero. The advertised 18-foot throw does not establish suitability
  for a 3 m spherical surface; a lens/layout quote and optical trial come first.
  [Official catalog](https://miamisoundrental.com/projector-rental).
- **Resolume**: Arena for one computer is €799. The USD media/software allowance
  is not a currency conversion or a quote. Existing licenses can reduce the
  cash request only after confirming they cover this use.
  [Official shop](https://resolume.com/shop/).
- **Supplied v3 BOM**: sphere and custom-structure costs are earlier planning
  allowances, not vendor prices. The new alternatives use explicitly revised
  allowances around simpler scope; supplier quotes are outstanding.
  [Preserved BOM](https://thatsnozorb.muchadoaboutoneside.com/downloads/deliveries/enceladus_v3/budget/BOM.csv).

A $495 daily catalog rate does not establish a multi-day price, lens suitability,
brightness on translucent material, enclosure performance in salt spray or event
approval. The low end is not a promise of a complete purchased package.

## Camera, coverage and support alternatives

**No GoPros inside** is the baseline in every row. The original four-camera
hardware line was $500–$1,600 before contingency. Removing it alone does not
remove the cost of the sphere, support, projectors, mapping or operations. No
additional synchronization-labor saving has been assumed.

**One external camera** adds a planning allowance of $750–$2,800 before
contingency: $250–$800 equipment and $500–$2,000 integration. The participant is
outside the sphere. It supports a live 2D image/texture, not full volumetric body
capture. The lit-moon option does not have a projected-image path, so the
calculator does not apply that upgrade to it.

**Fewer projectors** buys less visual coverage. Each removed projector at the
default rate/duration removes $2,970 in rental, or $3,712.50 including 25%
contingency. At two projectors a 15–30% rental discount would reduce the final
cash allowance by $1,113.75–$2,227.50. These are arithmetic scenarios, not offers.
The four-projector v3 ideal-opaque-sphere model itself covered only 85.58%.

**A fully fixed truck mount** has two distinct meanings. A bed-supported display
is the simpler option here. A fixed rear/side cantilever still creates an offset
load and needs custom interfaces and stabilization; deleting articulation does
not make the original hitch concept approved. Do not substitute a towing rating
for an analysis of the proposed assembly.

**Ground-supported / no water** is the default. A dry-land display still needs
weather and site review. Water and human occupancy are not cheap add-ons and
have no firm allowance in these scenarios. Any occupied concept, including one
supported from the ground, needs a separate reviewed enclosure, egress and
operating design. The unoccupied ranges cannot be used as occupied-build prices.

## Relationship to the original budget

The original P0 optical bench was $1,875–$5,750 including contingency; P1 was
$39,000–$105,750; combined $40,875–$111,500. P0 is not a full festival exhibit.
These alternatives do not include a separately commissioned P0 in addition to
the stated installation lines. If a standalone P0 is commissioned first, keep
it as a separate phase and reconcile reusable purchases to avoid counting them
twice. The original P1 rental allowance had no current vendor quote. Since scope
and rental assumptions differ, do not advertise percentage savings as though
these were bids for an identical installation.

Next cost decisions: choose the artistic minimum, test a small projection
surface, establish site/power/anchor permissions, then replace the support,
crew and rental allowances with dated quotes. No choice of build is made by
this comparison.