As you build playlists in your Automated Game Plan, the app checks your work and flags anything that might not look right on air. This article explains what the icons mean, how to fix the two most common warnings, and how to time your items so graphics animate in and out cleanly.
What the red and orange icons mean
You may see one of two icons on a playlist:
Orange info icon: advice. Nothing is broken, but the app has a suggestion that could make the playlist work better. Hover over or open the icon to read it.
Red warning icon: a problem. Something in the playlist is likely to cause trouble on air, such as graphics wiping each other out. Fix these before match day.
The app also gives suggestions as you add items, for example whether a graphic should use the Update update type. It's worth reading these as you go, as they're based on how the item is likely to behave on air.
"A live playlist should end by returning to the scorebug"
In the In Game (Live) tab, the Default playlist keeps the scorebug on screen whenever no other playlist is running. When a live playlist such as a goal or card playlist runs, it takes over, and it should hand back to the scorebug when it finishes. If the last item in the playlist leaves the screen empty or covered, viewers lose the scorebug.
The full message reads: "A live playlist should end by returning to the scorebug. Add a Show scorebug action as the final step."
To fix it:
Open the playlist and click Add Item to Sequence.
Choose Action, then Show scorebug.
Set its start time a little after the last item in the playlist ends, so it's the final step.
You can also finish with Hide all except scorebug, which clears everything else and brings the scorebug back. Either action does the job. For more on actions, see Add an action to an automation playlist.
"Two transitions on one second can wipe each other"
This warning appears when two items in a playlist start on the same second. It reads along the lines of "Second Xs is already used by ...", followed by the item already on that second.
When two items start at exactly the same moment, their transitions can clash, and one can wipe out the other before it's seen. The fix is simple: give every item its own start second. Change the start time (mm:ss) of one of the items so they no longer overlap. This applies to actions too, so don't put a Hide all on the same second as a graphic.
Leave room for animations
Graphics animate in and out, and that animation time is part of the item's duration. If items are packed tightly together, the next one can start before the last one has finished animating out.
Leave about 2 seconds between items so each animation finishes cleanly before the next begins.
Give event graphics 8 to 10 seconds on screen. Goal, card and substitution graphics look better when viewers have time to read them after the in-animation.
Timing your Hide all actions
Hide all clears every graphic on screen, including the scorebug. If you place it exactly on an item's end time, it can cut that item's out-animation short, so the graphic disappears abruptly instead of animating off.
To avoid this, start the Hide all a little after the previous item ends, using the 2 second buffer above. If you want to clear graphics but keep the scorebug up during live play, use Hide all except scorebug instead.
Example
Here's how these tips might look in a goal playlist for Harbour City (HCF) v Ridgeview (RVR):
00:00 Hide all except scorebug, so the scorebug's own goal animation plays.
00:02 Scorer lower third as an Update, on screen for 10 seconds.
00:14 Hide all, two seconds after the lower third ends.
00:16 Score line with goals, on screen for 8 seconds.
00:26 Hide all except scorebug, so the playlist hands back to the scorebug.
Every item has its own start second, there's a buffer after each graphic, and the playlist ends by returning to the scorebug, so neither warning appears.
Check your timing
Once the icons are clear, play the playlist in Preview to watch the graphics animate over the vision and confirm nothing is cut short. To see how your playlists behave across a real match, use Review a match against your game plan. To see how items sit against each other, see Understanding the playlist timeline.
Next: Preview a playlist