Graphics & Automation - A Memorable 2023

We're fast approaching the end of 2023, and it was a momentous year for our team. We've launched new products, solutions, channels and shows - sometimes local to home, sometimes around the world. Our aim is to give BBC teams universal access to branded content, through flexible, scale-able workflows.

In April, "G&A" combined with specialist teams and individuals from BBC News & Nations. Several studio automation solution experts - Morag McIntosh , Andrew Dakin , Marcus McNulty , Meinir Jones & Nick Buckley have joined our gang, and graphic solutions specialists and developers Tony Sinclair & Darren Nevin .

The Automation team are known internally for their latest Viz Mosart programming concept - Core3. It brings together many different facets of complex studio automation control developed at the BBC and gathers them into a rationalised way of working. Core3 brings greater flexibility and TX security for all outlets using studio automation.

Morag McIntosh was rewarded this year for her work on this and multiple projects at the BBC, with a RISE award for Technical Operations. We were thrilled to see her recognised for her fantastic work - including automation for the new BBC News Channel.

The team have rolled out Core3 programming across 5 different galleries this year, including Salford's Quay House Breakfast studio, Glasgow Pacific Quay and Washington DC - Marcus McNulty & Andrew Dakin taking Core3 international! As well as Core3, Meinir Jones got to grips with Ross Overdrive in our regions.

Tony Sinclair is our Solution Manager for all things Vizrt, and has established a pan-BBC Viz Pilot approach as well as several AR and VR technical solutions in both Glasgow & Cardiff.

Darren Nevin has not only worked away on the NI elections and sport software development this year, he's also been a key player in development of our new products.

I'm thrilled to welcome them all to the team, and proud of the progress we've made towards the BBC's digital-first ambitions. To achieve this we’ve introduced 4 new products and solutions to the BBC this year.

These new products will work together and integrate with some of our internal and enterprise tools such as BBC Login & our NCRS (newsroom computer systems).

Our Screen Control solution has been rolled out to 9 UK galleries this year - Paul Eccles behind the product.

Motion graphic designers render huge canvas clips to a drop folder, and they become immediately available to our production team in OpenMedia.

Journalists and producers can insert DTL boxes, HTML graphics and transition between graphics with full width wipes on their shows.

Automation solutions such as Mosart, Overdrive and our BBC legacy tool BigTed3 drive the screens, via CasparCG.

On the left above you can see Jonny McGuigan at Heathrow’s departure lounge, producing a stream on BBC Silver.

He’s adding graphics to a presser through the BBC Graphics - Rundown, launched in May this year with development from Frane Cagalj , Marino Drazic , Filipa Cagalj Matic & Ben Sheppard

The first handful of streams featuring Rundown graphics reached millions of viewers – aided by some major events.

Our cloud tools enable staff to work from anywhere. The Rundown is an app for driving responsive HTML graphics manually.

Outside of news we’ve been adding graphics for music events too. And soon we hope to add a Sport Results app to BBC Graphics with data-subscribed templates.

Behind BBC Graphics, we have a technology named GSAAS, or Graphic Scenes as a Service, developed by Tom Chafer-Cook , Peter Chiles and Peter R. .

This allows us to spin up unlimited web graphic sources for TV, streams, and soon into files for digital, post and social.

The beauty of web graphics is that they are responsive, and can be rendered on any digital device - Ben Sheppard has been revolutionising our methods here.

Our ambition is that broadcast graphic templates can one day become audience facing graphics on iPlayer - especially working with our friends at BBC R&D.

Sofie is an exciting open-source, studio automation solution. Developed together with NRK, TV2 Norway and TV2 Denmark - many other broadcasters are taking interest in this browser based tool.

This year Peter Chiles has been behind integration with OpenMedia and with our very own GSAAS solution. And it's exciting to see Paul Eccles & Morag McIntosh leading our Sofie approach.

Our initial trial using Sofie live is early next year, so watch this space.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all our team!