For this episode of Practical Production, we're going to look at using macros and automation
to support the workflow of a sports-themed game show called Around the Bases.
In Around the Bases, viewers call in to join the show, where they try to answer a series
of baseball-related questions to win a prize.
The show starts with a single box of the host introducing the baseball topic that questions
will be based on.
It then switches to a two-box shot with the host and the caller, along with the baseball
diamond with bases that are used in the game to keep score.
When the caller joins the show, several things happen.
The host will see this new caller on a studio monitor along with their name and location.
And while they are waiting to be brought on by the host, the caller will see a standby
message with the show playing in a small corner box.
At this point, their audio will be muted.
When they go live, the caller's audio will be unmuted, and they will see a single box
of the host along with the baseball diamond game board and a countdown timer.
Viewers will see a two-box shot of the host and caller, with the baseball diamond game
board positioned between them and, again, a countdown timer.
When the game ends, the program switches back to the one-box shot of the host, and everything
gets reset for the next caller.
For this production, we will load ME1 with the single box host set, ME2 with the two-box
host and caller set, ME3 with the caller standby set, ME4 with the caller live set, and ME5
with the caller details set for the studio.
In GFX2, we'll have the caller details overlay used in the studio reference monitor, and
in DDR1, we'll have our countdown clock overlay.
The input one on the tricaster will be used for the studio camera, and input two will
be used by Live2AaronColonManager for our call-in guest.
Output one on the tricaster will carry the actual program that viewers will watch.
Output two will be the video return to callers, and output three will be the video for the
studio monitor with the caller's information.
So let's start by creating a macro to bring on the host one-box shot.
Go up to macros, configure macros, and click on add macro.
We'll call this macro ATB host, and assign it to the trigger key, CTRL H.
We'll set speed to snapshot, and this will just record actions and ignore any timing
we have between them, and with that set, we'll click record.
Move the panel aside, and go to the program bus, and select ME1, the host one-box set.
Go to the preview bus, and select ME2, the two-box game set.
Go down to the audio mixer tab, and mute the audio for the caller channel.
Finally, go to the hardware configuration panel, click on output, and set OUT2 to ME3,
the caller standby set that the remote caller will see.
That should be everything needed for this one-box shot, so turn off record.
Now let's create a macro for bringing a caller on to play the game.
Go to configure macros again, and click the add macro button.
We'll call this macro ATB game, and assign it to the trigger key, CTRL G.
Set speed to snapshot, and click record.
Now go to the program bus, and select ME2, the two-box set with host and caller.
Go to the preview bus, and select ME1, the one-box set with the host.
Go to the audio mixer tab, and unmute the audio for the guest channel.
And go to the hardware configuration panel, click on output, and set OUT2 now to ME4,
the caller live set.
This should be everything needed for this two-box shot, so turn off record again.
Finally, let's create four simple macros for controlling the game's countdown timer.
It'll be start, stop, reset, along with the macro play buzzer that will play a sound when
the timer runs out.
The start timer macro will start the one-minute game countdown clock.
Go to add macro, call it ATB start timer, and assign it to CTRL, comma.
Set speed to snapshot, and then click record.
Go to the DDR1 tab, select the one-minute timer, and click play.
You can now push stop to finish recording.
For the second macro stop timer, click add macro again.
Name it ATB stop timer, and map it to the CTRL period key.
Click snapshot, and then go to record.
Go to the DDR1 tab again, select the one-minute timer, and click stop.
You can now push stop to finish.
For the third macro, click add macro again.
Name it ATB reset timer, and map it to the CTRL slash key.
Set speed to snapshot, and click record.
Go to the DDR1 tab, select the one-minute timer, and click stop, then click go to start.
You can now push the stop record to finish.
For the play buzzer macro, click add macro again, and name it ATB play buzzer.
Since we're going to invoke this using automation, we won't map it to any key.
Set speed to snapshot, and click record.
Go to the sound tab now, select the end timer wave file, and click play.
You can now push stop record to finish.
You can now close the macro panel.
To set this up so that the buzzer plays when time runs out, go to the DDR1 tab, right-click
on one-minute timer, and select automation from the menu.
Click on the on-end drop-down, and select the macro ATB play buzzer that we just created.
When the video finishes playing, it will invoke this macro to play the buzzer automatically.
To make things even simpler, we'll also use automation to reset the timer whenever the
one-box host shot is used.
Right-click on the ME1 button, and select configure.
Click on the automation tab, and check the program row box.
This is used to execute a macro anytime ME1 is in the program source.
Click on E under the active drop-down, and select ATB reset timer.
Now, when the director switches to the one-box, the game timer will automatically reset.
We now have six macros set up for the production.
Press control H to launch ATB host.
The audience will see the one-box shot of the host, and the caller will be muted, and
they will see the caller standby set.
Press control G to launch ATB game.
The audience will now see the two-box shot with both the host and the caller.
The caller will be unmuted, and see the caller live set.
Press control comma to start the counter for the game.
It can be stopped at any time by clicking control period, and reset back to one minute
by pressing control slash.
We've also created two automation triggers.
When the one-box shot of the host is switched to program, the game countdown timer automatically
resets for the next caller.
And when the timer video reaches zero, a buzzer automatically plays.
So there you have it.
This video just touched on a few of the many ways that macros and automation can simplify
your production workflow.
We'll be following this video up with a post on some of the top ways to use macros and
automation in your productions.
As always, we love your feedback and suggestions.
If you have any thoughts for topics we should cover, or ways we can make practical production
more useful to you, just drop us a line at practicalproductionatneural.com.
Thanks for watching.
If you'd like to find out more about our live to air and call and manage our products, just
visit us at www.neuralnet.com.
