You make and organize your shows in the Landing page and the Rundown page. For a guided first-time tour, see Getting Started.

Common Actions

Shows, rundowns, and rundown templates share the same set of management actions where they appear in Showmaker.

Landing Page

Showmaker opens on the landing page. From here you pick a show, browse its rundowns or rundown templates, and decide which rundown is sent to Viz Mosart.

Show

A show is a container for related rundowns and rundown templates, typically one program or production. Each show can hold any number of rundowns and templates.

The show banner at the top of the landing page is both a functional space and an identity space. Functionally it is the show selector, content counter, and action menu. As an identity surface, the banner image, title, and program window personalize the workspace and signal ownership of the rundowns and templates beneath it.

Show actions

• Open: Pick a show from the dropdown.

• New show: Create a new show.

  • Show title: Required.

  • Starts at / Ends at: (optional) When both are set, every new rundown and rundown template in this show inherits these values, and the planned duration is displayed automatically. Both can be overridden per rundown.

  • Banner image: (optional) A convenient identifier for the active show.

  • Studio: Selectable when a MOS device is configured. This is an administrator configuration task.

• Edit show: Modify any of the above on an existing show, plus the default option for a new rundown (start blank, or seed from a specific rundown template) and the script-timing settings described under Timing from the Script below.

• Set as default: See Common Actions.

• Delete show: Deleting a show can affect every rundown and rundown template inside it, so a confirmation dialog provides two safeguards:

  • Choose what happens to the contents: delete the show with all its rundowns and templates, or move them to another show first so nothing is lost.

  • Type the show name to confirm. The Delete button stays disabled until the name matches exactly.

Studio Assignment

Each show in Showmaker originates from a Studio, the physical production environment under the control of a Viz Mosart server.

Normally a rundown is associated with the show's original studio, but Showmaker allows rundowns to be shared between studios: you can point a single rundown at a different Studio without changing the show. This is useful for rehearsals and last-minute changes.

Above the list of rundowns, the Studio badge tells you about the rundown's origins.

Show Assets

Show assets are graphics saved on the show so they can be reused in any story of any rundown in that show. Instead of rebuilding the same lower third or bug edition after edition, you build it once, save it, and insert it wherever you need it.

To save a graphic as a show asset from an existing rundown

1. In a rundown, select a graphic you have added from the Pilot plugin.

2. Click Save to show assets. Showmaker confirms with Saved to show assets.

A graphic already in the library reports "<name>" is already in show assets instead of being added twice.

To insert a show asset into a story

1. Open the story you want to add the graphic to.

2. Click Insert show asset and pick the asset from the list. The search field narrows a long library.

3. Edit the graphic's text inline once it is on the story.

To manage the library

Click Assets on the show banner to open Show assets page. From here you can browse the library, add assets and remove ones you no longer need, without opening a rundown. An empty library shows No assets added yet. To add an asset from this page, build the item in a plugin on the right, then send it with the plugin's add button.

Insert assets from the script

You can insert a show asset without leaving the script. Type / in the script and Showmaker offers your show assets inline; keep typing to filter the list, then choose an asset to insert it at the caret.

A graphic inserted this way is timed from the script rather than from the start of the story: Showmaker takes it on air at the point in the read where the caret was, using the story's reading speed. Move the graphic's position in the script and its timing follows.

Rundowns View

Switch between Rundowns and Rundown templates to filter the list. The rundown view shows every rundown in the current show, with a search field that filters by title as you type, and a New rundown button.

New Rundown

Opens a dialog with two creation paths. The default follows the show's setting for new rundowns.

• Start from scratch: creates an empty rundown.

• Use a rundown template: creates an independent copy of the selected template.

Starts at and Planned duration are pre-filled from the show's settings. Change them here to override for this rundown only.

Rundown list details

Putting a rundown on air

Two toggles control how a rundown reaches Viz Mosart. Use them in this order:

1. Active: turn on to live-sync the rundown with Viz Mosart. Your rundown appears in the Viz Mosart UI, and edits in Showmaker are reflected immediately.

2. Ready to air: turn on to add this rundown to the Viz Mosart Rundowns > NCS active > READYTOAIR rundown, where the operator can take it on air.

Rundown Operations

Double-clicking a rundown opens the Rundown page. This is where you build the rundown. It has four areas.

1 Rundown information bar

• Home: back to the landing page.

• Title and status badges: the rundown name with MOS active and Ready to air badges when on.

• Studio badge: click to override or reset. See Studio Assignment.

• Starts at: start time, inherited from the rundown or its template.

• Planned duration: turns red when the total story duration exceeds it.

• Options menu: Edit, Duplicate, Create template, Paste story (when one is on the clipboard), Delete.

• Activity: opens the comments and change history for the rundown. See Collaborating on a Rundown.

• Help menu: the top-right ? icon.

• User avatar: when signed in, next to the ? icon. Click for your account and to sign out. This identity is shared across all Mosart Web Apps.

2 Assets panel

Holds the building blocks that you add to stories.

• Viz Mosart automation templates: always available. The set depends on the connected Viz Mosart server's template set.

• Show assets: the graphics saved for reuse in this show. See Show Assets below.

• Viz Pilot Edge: available when Viz Pilot Edge is configured.

• Viz Flowics: available when Viz Flowics is configured.

3 Story editor

The centre panel lists all stories and their content in order. Selecting a story in the story list scrolls the editor to it.

• Saving and live sync. All edits save automatically as you make them; there is no Save button. While the rundown is Active, changes are pushed to Viz Mosart over a live connection.

• Undo. If you delete a story or an item by mistake, a toast offers Undo, and Ctrl+Z does the same.

• Copy and paste a story. Copy story puts a story on the clipboard; Paste story appends the copy at the end of the rundown, and Paste story as next puts it after the current one. The clipboard works across rundowns and templates in the same session.

Story header

• Story title: editable inline.

• Auto / Manual toggle: a per-story view filter. Auto hides manual items so you see only what runs automatically; Manual shows only manual items. Each story has its own setting, and it does not affect what is sent to Viz Mosart.

• Planned duration: the story's duration. This can be calculated for you; see Timing from the Script.

• Options menu: Float, Copy, Duplicate, Paste item, Paste story as next, Delete.

• Comments: opens the comments for this story.

Story body

The editing area inside a story, where you add and arrange the elements that control Viz Mosart templates, graphics, timing and scripts. A story can hold any combination of:

• Automated item: a Viz Mosart template that runs automatically.

• Manual item: an item the operator can select during the show. Manual items are styled differently from scheduled ones so the two are not confused, and they are listed separately.

• Story note: pinned to the top of the story, a free-text field for editorial context or instructions. It stays visible while you build the automation underneath, and can be dragged under any item to become that item's on-air script.

• Script field: presenter or editorial text attached to a specific item.

• Graphic: a Viz Pilot Edge or Viz Flowics element attached to an item.

• Clip: a video playback element from the media server, attached to an item.

Secondary items

An item can carry secondary items, for example an overlay graphic attached to a camera template. Secondary items have their own actions, available from the handle or by double-clicking.

Each secondary item has a target button that gathers its destination and timing in one place. From it you set where the graphic goes and how it comes off air:

Overlay graphics can also have their destination changed here, without leaving the rundown editor. Dragging a secondary item shows a placeholder where it will land, and secondary items can be moved between the scheduled and manual tabs.

4 Story list and navigation panel

An ordered list of every story in the rundown, with controls to add, reorder, float, copy and delete.

• Add story (+): appends a new empty story. Hold Shift to add it as the next story, below the selected one.

• More options: Import stories brings in stories from a prepared CSV or Excel file, mapping each row to a new story at the end of the rundown. Paste pastes a story from the clipboard.

• Story options (click the handle without dragging): Float story marks the story to be skipped during playout. Floated stories are drawn with diagonal stripes and are not sent to air, but stay in the rundown for reference. Also Copy, Duplicate and Delete.

• Drag to reorder: drag a row by its handle. Numbering updates automatically.

• Items counter: the number of scheduled and manual items in the story.

Show Assets

Recurring graphics, such as a programme's standard lower thirds or a sponsor bug, do not have to be rebuilt for every story. A show can keep its own library of ready-made graphics, and any of them can be dropped into a story when needed.

Saving an asset

Build the graphic in a plugin panel as usual, add it to a rundown, select it, then use Save to show assets. The asset then belongs to the show and is available in every rundown in it.

There is also a dedicated Show Assets page for managing the library on its own. There you build a graphic in the plugin panel on the right and send it with the plugin's add button. When the NRCS Plugin is opened from this page, its send button reads Add to show assets rather than Add to Story.

Using an asset

Open the Assets panel and select Show assets. Assets can be filtered by type. Until anything is saved, the panel reads No assets added yet.

Inserting a graphic from the script

You can also reach the show's assets without leaving the script. Type / in a script field and a menu of the show's graphics appears; pick one and it is attached to the item.

Collaborating on a Rundown

Several people can work on the same rundown at once, and Showmaker makes their presence and their changes visible rather than silent.

Who else is here

The people currently in the rundown are shown as avatars. Each person gets their own colour, and viewers are distinguished from editors, so you can tell at a glance who is reading and who is working.

Comments and mentions

• Every story can carry comments. Open Story comments from the story, type in Add a comment… and send it. Replies keep the conversation together.

• Type @ in a comment to mention a colleague. They are notified, and the comment is marked so they can see they were mentioned.

• A story with activity you have not seen is flagged, so you do not have to open each story to check.

The activity panel

The activity panel has two tabs:

• Comments: every comment and mention in this rundown, with unread ones counted. Mentions from other rundowns are gathered separately, so a mention cannot be missed just because you were somewhere else.

• Changes: an attributed timeline of what changed in this rundown, showing who did it and when. Use it before air to review what has moved since you last looked.

Timing from the Script

A story's timing can be derived from the material itself rather than typed in by hand. Both settings are per show, in Edit show.

• Auto-calculate planned duration from script: when a script is added to a story item, the item's planned duration is set from the talent's reading speed.

• Auto-calculate story duration: each story's planned duration is set from the sum of its item durations.

Reading-speed presets

Reading speed varies by presenter, so it is kept as a named list of reading-speed presets: a preset name, for example the talent's name, and a speed. Add as many as you need, then pick the right preset for a script.

Recording a Story

Where Story Recorder is enabled by your administrator, each story carries recording controls:

• Record: marks the story to be recorded by the Story Recorder feature.

• Publish: marks the story for online publishing. This is available with a TriCaster only.

• Use recording: replaces the story's script with the recorded version.

If you do not see these controls, they have not been enabled. See Feature settings.

Quick Guide to Rundown Operations

To add a Viz Mosart template

1. Open the Viz Mosart assets panel on the right. The coloured templates represent automation commands controlling devices such as cameras, video servers, graphics engines and audio mixers.

2. Pick a template and adjust its properties as needed.

3. Click ADD TO STORY, or drag the template onto a story.

To add a graphic

1. Open the panel for Viz Mosart, Viz Pilot Edge or Viz Flowics, or select Show assets for one you have already saved.

2. Pick a graphic and adjust its properties.

3. Click ADD TO STORY. The graphic is attached to the selected item.

To manage a story and its items

• Click an item's handle to reveal its actions. You can copy, duplicate, edit, add a script to, change the timing of, or delete it.

• Click the script icon to edit the script.

• Drag an item's handle to change its execution order.

To work with video clips

• Search the media server by clip name. Results show the full clip name, and a thumbnail where the media server provides one.

• Open a clip to preview it at full resolution, with a transport bar, before committing to it.

• Where a TriCaster is used, a clip can be uploaded to its clip server from inside Showmaker.

Rundown Templates View

A rundown template defines the structure of a rundown without specific content. Use templates for recurring programmes and standard show formats. Template lists work like the Rundowns View, so refer to that section for how to manage them.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Open this list inside Showmaker at any time with K, or pick Keyboard Shortcuts from the Help menu.

Landing page

Rundown editor and rundown template editor

Global

Examples, Videos, Further Guidance

Showmaker is evolving rapidly. Below is a starting point for finding useful descriptions online.

• A short introductory video takes you through the basics.

• Making rundowns easy and intuitive to create, with drag-and-drop access to Viz Mosart templates.

• A three-minute clip linking Viz Mosart operations to the show's rundown with newsroom tags.

Viz University

Showmaker training is offered free of charge to registered customers at Viz University.

Documentation updates

As development evolves, the documentation is continually updated. Between software updates, the latest documentation is available at the Vizrt Documentation Center.