The two spent their time showing attendees real world examples of how AppleScript can help a business automate its workflow.
Showtime uses AppleScript to automate the making of the screens you see between movies (the ones that announce upcoming movies and features). Using an AppleScript droplet, files are opened in Illustrator for the first batch of work, exported to Photoshop and then exported to their final destination folder for processing.
Once the AppleScript droplet has completed its task, the files and voiceovers are moved into Media 100 for the final steps before being exported as a QuickTime movie. The voiceover file is one continuous 25 minute file; the voiceover specialist talks for 20 seconds and pauses for ten seconds. Setting these constraints, AppleScript automatically edits the voiceovers, cutting out the ten second pauses and lays in the Photoshop segment. The file that is exported is what we see on our TV screens.
“AppleScript is the best tool for automating your tasks — you can script nearly everything you do on a Mac,” Soghoian said. “You can use AppleScript with many programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, FileMaker Pro, Canto, Microsoft Word and QuickTime player is very scriptable as well.”
Van Dall said that Showtime makes between 800-1000 menus to play between movies each month. The level of automation the company currently enjoys would not be possible without the help of AppleScript and QuickTime, he said.