Emilio Espinosa's PVC Lighting

Hello Mr. Eggleston!

Let me begin by telling you how much I have enjoyed and appreciated The Frugal Filmmaker blog! I'm actually a professional producer, editor, and motion graphics designer, but I don't have a lot of gear of my own. Your blog has given me countless ideas that I have put to use in creating gear for personal production work in video and photography.

As a way of saying thanks, and maybe giving something back to the community, I want to share my gallery of images of the various tools I've created both based on your tutorials and on tutorials you've shared along with modifications I've made.

The gallery is available on Flickr and has full explanations of each piece: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmvfx/sets/72157626663349436/.

In addition to the pieces I'm sharing with you here, I have also built your PVC camera stabilizer rig and PVC Table Dolly that I have not yet photographed.

Again, thank you so much for all of the inspiration and instruction, it has enabled me to do things I didn't think I could do on my own.

Scott says: I'm glad I could inspire Emilio, but to be fair, many of his lighting ideas are waaaaaay beyond mine. I advise everyone to follow Emilio's link to his Flickr page. Lots of fantastic stuff to see there.
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Comments

Unknown said…
Wow this is a nice setup. His Flickr page said he was embarrassed but man Id be proud. Just that PVC c stand was sweet. Great work.
May 10, 2011 at 12:57:00 PM PDT
James said…
I really like his diffuser setup.
May 10, 2011 at 2:34:00 PM PDT
Mike Parker said…
I'm really impressed by his resourcefulness and ingenuity. But I noticed that some of his setups use construction paper, tinfoil or plastic water bottles. I know he is using CFL bulbs but I can't help but wonder if he is risking a fire.
May 11, 2011 at 9:43:00 PM PDT
Mike Parker said…
Hey! What gives, Scott? You deleted my comment.
May 14, 2011 at 5:23:00 PM PDT
Scott Eggleston said…
Mike,

I'm not sure what happened. I didn't delete anything intentionally. Sorry. What was your comment again?
May 14, 2011 at 9:39:00 PM PDT
Mike Parker said…
Meh! S'okay...I was just asking about the safety of some of his projects. On the flicker photos, he says that some of his projects use tin foil and construction paper and I think another used a plastic water bottle. I know he is using CFL bulbs, which are low heat. But isn't he risking a fire?
May 15, 2011 at 7:21:00 AM PDT
GreaseMonkey said…
@Mike: As to the safety of these builds, I have some experience in electrical and electronics work and I have given some forethought to issues of heat and electrocution. Firstly, nothing is attached to the sockets or cables, everything is attached outside of the socket housings. Electrical connections are made as intended for each item requiring them (no exposed wires, twisted pairs covered in tape, or jimmy-rigged connections) The use of CFL bulbs is essential here to keep things cool, both for safety and for comfort in the studio.. Aluminum foil is the only metal used in these builds, everything else is plastic, PVC, construction paper, pasteboard, zip ties, and gaffer's and electrical tape. I run these lights for many hours at a time and have been known to leave them set up and on for up to a week at a time when working in the studio and have had no issues whatsoever with heat, electrical, or performance. When these are not being used for photography and video, I often use them as lighting for my work area and a couple of these double as occasional lamps in my office area. My advice to others who attempt to build these sorts of setups is to take your time, do all of your electrical work properly, and don't let items that will heat up touch anything flammable.
May 17, 2011 at 12:01:00 PM PDT
Mike Parker said…
Thanks Emilio!
May 19, 2011 at 4:53:00 PM PDT
DIYFilmSchool.net said…
This will give me some food for thought. Such a great contribution; Emilio seems really humble. Thanks!
January 23, 2013 at 7:11:00 AM PST
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