USQ 5622 - multimedia portfolio pages of Graham Taylor

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4.3

4.4

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Activity 4.4 - Flash haiku

If you do not have the Flash plugin installed it may be downloaded here. The clip will play once automatically. To repeat, right click (or on a Mac, Option click, or right click).

Warning. The file may take several minutes to download on a slow connection. Your browser may start to play before the download is complete. Please replay.

4.4 - The Haiku in Flash

What I have learned: Lots about working with images on different layers, inserting text and sound. I can see how the text could be animated, images blended and like efects used but time does not allow more jazzing up. Window management seems more awkward than similar complex programs (eg, PS) so I need to learn how to use these better.

In Fireworks I had a movie of 648k, and in Flash, this has been halved and with a complete makeover could be reduced to well below specs. At issue is partly working up from previous work - ie, if I had known half of what I do now I would have done many things differently earlier on. Therefore, it is partly to do with the way the task has been structured and partly me not planning ahead. Finding out that Flash can be asked for a size report when exporting is useful in pinpointing exactly where the problems lay.

A big issue is sound file size. I would record differently, particularly one track for the reading and another for a simpler background (using my own composition in Garage Band was fun but expensive in terms of size). Two tracks may help in editting too. I would use a better mike, lower settings and get the mp3 compression plugin for Audacity.

The other main issue was the photos I used so I would look to using much simpler graphics, as per the example given. If I chose to stick with the photos I would use a smaller size, convert to smaller gifs, use only 2 and apply gradients to get the effect. I would also investigate Glen's suggestion of converting to vectors, though the complexity of the existing image may lead to other choices of photo.

One bizarre thing is the the file seems to behave a little differently according to the browser - basically is seems to treat the sound track differently and starts playing before the graphics download complete - thus stuffing up my meticulous synchronization! Ok if replayed but irritating! Partly solved by setting sync to streaming but it may still be an issue to stop autoplay starting before the entire download is complete on certain combinations of OS/browser. This mainly seems an issue on slow connections as others report it as fine.

As we are being assessed on learning and ability to instruct others (more expert in MM) rather than quality and artistic merit, and given the time required to get this far, I do feel this tasks warrants full marks. ;-}}