Meet The Gaffer #39: Basic Distro

I don't miss this shit. Thank god for sky panels and CMOS sensors

I'm a little bit confused what the 220 is with the yellow backing there. is that referring to amps or volts? the cable with the stage pin connectors. and you brought it up when wanting to use more powerful light, can you possibly go more in depth? thank you! :)

Early in the video you mentioned not being able to use a 10k out of the 220 box but later you mentioned potentially an M90 which is 9k yes? That's why i'm a little confused thanks!

No way you’d get Barbie and Ken in a “budget” production -they’re not working for scale. They command premiums and very extensive riders.

Hi, I've watched this a few years back and it was a very good video then and it still is now. But do you see the big tow genes and the heavy distro runs fading away because the LED fixtures are taking over the industry. It nearly feels like the switch from film cameras to digital cameras...

Had a best boy tell me not to put my knee on the ground when plugging in banded, is that really a thing? (Possibly creating an arc if it's a hot line) You didn't rest on your knee when plugging into the genni and then you rested on your knee when you plugged in the 600 box. (Of course in theory it should never be hot.) Great video! Thank you.

Hi, Great demo. I searched the comments and didn't find a similar question (apologies if repeat). The example has a 500amp genie connected to a 600amp distro. Does the generator and distro need to be at the same Amp?

What do you do to for safety / protect those open 3 fer’s?...

Can each of those lunchboxes carry a 100 amp load, or is it 100 amp combined with extra inputs?

Thanks for this! Needed this as a bit of a review for live event power and it was perfect. I've seen people in forums and around refuse to share information about 3 phase power bc of "safety" but knowledge is power! If someone who doesn't know what they're doing ends up setting up power distro, this is only going to help it turn out safely.

Amazing work!

This is amazing. One thing. You put your knee on the ground. Big no no.

I am new to the industry and been rigging lately this just put much of the puzzle together for me' Much appreciated this was awesome

Nicely done Alan! Miss you guys. I was actually online looking for a tow plant and ran into this. Mine was stolen (second time) from the Holiday Inn in Oakland last night. Best to all and thanks for stepping up and helping the youngsters coming in!

And this is why you hire a pro gaffer! There I was thinking I’m well equipped with a case full of stingers and power strips 🤣

Thanks for the demonstration Luke this helps immensely!

Make sure to stay off your knee when plugging in power LUKE!

Alan is the man, I bought a ton of his old gear, started me in the biz!

Question: do large film shoots have fire extinguishers on set? If so, which department is responsible for providing them?
I have started carrying one in my modest grip box just so I know where one is. My fireperson friends remind me that most major fires could have been put out with a fire extinguisher in the first few minutes of the fire. Time is critical.

A Flur type thermal camera would be a useful diagnostic tool for an on set electric. Once things are up and running walk your cable runs and distro points to look for excessive heat. Simple, easy to use, modest cost, ~$300.

Hello! Absolutely fantastic video! Just found your channel and I cant stop watching! I had a quick question as I often gaff and seldom have to touch distro boxes as of late. When you say that with the 220v distro box cannot be used with 10ks because it doesnt have a 100 amp out does that mean it has no way to re-circulate the large amp draw back to the generator?
thanks again and just subscribed!

I have a question on the 100Amp lunchbox passthrough. Can the cable take 200Amps total if I chain 2x 100amp boxes together? Or am I still limited to 100amps total for that run? (I assume I'd need to run the boxes independently) Thanks!

Alan IS a máster!

Can’t u get any further away with the camera? i cant see shit

You just got me a job. Thanks!

Thank you, note never take a knee when checking voltage?

Thanks, very interesting. Btw, what the name of your silent partner, the electrical box sculpture seen at the left outside the garage?

I've done this kind of power training before...but this video and tutorial was freaking fantastic man!! Highly recommended to anyone!

This is super helpful! Would there ever be a scenario in which you tape over your open connections like the open ends of the soft three-fer when you weren't using it or is that unnecessary?

Im a grip/electrition (same thing here) in Germany, this is fascinating, our entire Power infrastructure is so different!

The color coding seems a bit odd here, but maybe it's not a hard and fast rule? All the TV trucks and tie-in service boxes I've worked on follow the common scheme for 120/208V as A-black, B-red, C-blue, N-white, G-green for 3-phase, and A-black, B-red, N-white, G-green for 120/240V single-phase. Black/White/Green for 120V and Black/Red/Green for 240V.

Great video!!! Thankyou!

Thank you so much! This is really helpful!

Invaluable info! Thank you!

high budget set haha

Big THANKS ! and many blessings to you and your team Luke! I am a young Construction/Industrial Master Electrician that is brand new to the film industry in Vancouver BC Canada. Let me tell you, feeling much like an apprentice again while on set has been a big change! Your series is helping me get out of the green stage in double time! Plus its a great way to get through those long "condor calls" and night time genny op calls! LOL! Keep the videos coming my brutha!!

I'm learning this is in class now and I'm so glad I found this video, OMG!!! THANK YOU, i'm starting to "get it"

This is incredibly helpful and informative! I really appreciate you guys putting these videos together. Keep up the great work!

Luke I love the content, quick note on what my union has been teaching and i am not sure if its industry standard. They say to never drop a knee when plugging in the bandit due to grounding yourself and uping a chance of shock.

Let me know what you think appreciate!

The system used in Canada is quite different i'd have to say simpler and more robust. This set up looks unnecessarily complicated.

can you run an 18k off a 500amp genie?

Absolutely Love your videos. Can you please make a video about metering a box, why you do it, and what you do when there is a problem? I feel so many people just understand how to plug into a distro box and go, but dont check the actual box for problems before that problem gets out of hand.
Either way Thanks for the great videos, and any on larger distribution are greatly appreciated as they clarify everything and make the set a safer place

Love this series, it is amazing! Well produced and informative, keep up the good work!

Luke I have to say, that is very smart presentation. A VERY SMART ONE ! Nice the chalk approach. You should run this tutorials for money like Shane. Actually Meet the Gaffer is probably the best tutorial set ever. My sincere compliments.

Really enjoy the videos! I'm very much a visual and hands on learner so these really help me with some tools that I don't get to work with often in my small area.

I hope you don't make a habit of dropping onto your knees...

Hey Luke, I really appreciate the videos you are producing. They are definitely some of the most helpful videos I've ever watched that are on the website about the topic of set electricity. I am a sophomore in film school, but have advanced to senior classes and in no way have they taught me what you have. Keep up the amazing work and thank you.

Awesome video. Could you do a part 2 a discuss how the to properly distribute the power and balance the generator? Also, are the soft threefers in place of a spiderbox or is that something different?

To me, this particular video is most helpful because it is giving insight and know how to help me jump beyond 2k lights. I have worked on a handful of feature films and one of them I was the gaffer but the budget never required anything more than a 2k. It is difficult to make the jump into larger lights without knowing how work they distro electricity. Thank you for taking the time to produce these videos.