Flash animation - the next update

I have found a news report that I have cut up to fit the length and style of my animation. From this I can see the main sections that I will need to include and therefore have drawn out an animatic. This is a new method for me, as I have not made 2D animations before, and when planning for projects that include video elements I have always used storyboarding. Basically animatics are a very basic hand drawn version of the final piece.

To see an example of an animatic click this link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FinPTn-Rg-M.  

From my research, it is clear to me how I will go about beginning the actual animation process in Flash, how to export the video and how to use audio within Flash for an optimal performance in the final exported project.

I should mention the nitty gritty parts of the animation process too, if you haven’t read my previous post updating you on my animation project, it might be a good idea as I have mentioned a lot about the actual animation techniques I will be using.

Although before I begin animating, I would feel much more comfortable knowing I have all of the graphics work done. Not because I’m worried about these, I generally really enjoy the design process of a project as much as the technical parts. But if I am animating a scene and realise I need something extra, or do not like the graphics I have drawn then I would like to have spares handy to go asap.

This part of the project is definitely underway, as I have already created an animatic I know exactly what to create digitally, as I have drawings to work from.

As I have seen previously in a lip syncing tutorial, I’m going to first arrange the audio appropriately, as I have two pieces to import. These are the opening news tune, and then the broadcast itself. I do not have to worry too much about slicing up the news report in flash, as I have cut and pasted together the report from audacity.

 

On a side note in relation to this, I highly recommend that if you need any audio work done (generally low key) then go and download audacity here - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I’m not sponsored by audacity or anything, it’s just a brilliant program to get to grips with easily and above all, it’s free.

As for the rest of my project I will be updating this blog on my progress, so if you would like to see the developments of my animation then keep reading! Or even if you would like to just have a look at the finished piece, I will upload it here first.

Flash animation, a project in progress

Our most recent assignment at college is to create a 2D animation, in a satirical fashion for our client (Imaginary of course) ‘Jib Jab’. Jib Jab specialise in creating these sorts of animations that poke fun at any major issues we see in the news these days.

So because it is for this client, we have a couple guidelines to stick to. The first of which is for the animation to be between 45 seconds and a minute long. The other was to, like Jib Jab, pick a topic in the news to make fun of.

Also I should point out that we have been learning about some basic animation techniques to use. I gather that the better the use the technique in our final animations, the better the grade we will get for it… I suppose.

These techniques include ‘frame by frame’ animation, ‘tweening’ and using the ‘bone’ tool.

Frame by frame animation – Basically one of the more classic methods of animation, you draw out each new frame of animation. In terms of my animation I will probably be using this for the lip syncing element.

Tweening – This is a tool in Flash to create smooth movement, generated by the program itself. In basic terms you can choose a frame to start with and then another with your character in a different place, then use the ‘tween’ option to create movement between the two frames that you have specified. For my animation I am thinking about using tweening for mostly any camera movement rather than character movement.

The ‘Bone’ tool – This tool (also in Flash) is much different from the techniques I have already talked about. This tool allows you to create the basic skeleton of a character underneath or behind the graphics. This is generally used for more realistic movements, and to use instead of the frame by frame technique in terms of movement. I am still undecided if, or where, I would use this for my animation.

Right off the bat I have an idea growing in my mind. I have decided to start gathering different news reports about the price of fuel at the moment, poking fun at the subject (without offending people obviously).

Keep following this blog for further updates; I will also post my final animation on here too.

2D Animation

We have recently been set a project to create a satirical styled 2D Flash animation, in the style of 'Jib Jab'. This means that we are basically going to create a comical animation, picking fun at some issue in recent news.

I have already pitched and presented my idea to my lecturer at college. My idea will be to make fun of a recent news report on the price of fuel, using the audio from the report and adding my own comical graphics to create the effect I want to achieve.

As I have already taken the audio from the news piece and sliced it up to around 50 seconds, my next move will be to develop an animatic. This will just be hand drawings outlining the animation with the audio piece added.

I will be posting more updates soon.

Cyanide and Happiness Short - A Review

This cyanide and happiness short is about a character named 'sad Larry' who meets with an old friend whist eating lunch. This old friend tries to cheer him up, but when that fails he kicks food in his face. It is a comedy themed animation, and is named appropriately as the cartoon is only around a minute long.

In terms of the storyline, obviously this animation is very basic. But because it is just a quick comedy type animation I feel that this cartoon does not need a good storyline, it is a very comical quick Flash animation. Because it is set in this style, the graphics are relatively simple as well, although the animation does run smoothly.

Again in this animation as the previous one that I reviewed the animation involves both frame by frame animation and tweening.

Leo and Satan - A Review

Leo and Satan is a comedy type Flash animation in which the storyline involves a little boy and Satan, the devil. In this particular episode Leo and Satan are playing video games when they lose the batteries to their controller, then after wrecking the sofa to get them Satan turns in to the huge demonic creature that he is, and breaks down in to hell in anger.

The storyline for this animation is somewhat lacking a lot in terms of the cartoon, but in my opinion are made up for with the funny antics included during nearly all of the episode. Furthermore, the style that the cartoon is made in, the storyline does not seem to be as important as what is actually happening on screen, it is more about a few quick laughs. Also, as the cartoon is only 3:22 minutes long it would be counter productive to introduce the audience to a complication storyline.

In terms of the actual animation used, there seems to be a mixture of frame by frame animation and regular tweening used in Flash. The frame by frame part is used for the lip sync parts of the animation and some movement, such as walking. There are usually tweens in the background moving simultaneously to the frame by frame part. The combination of these two types of animation makes for a very nice and smooth looking animation.

Upon further investigation, I also managed to find out that the animation was made at 25 frames per second. Enough for the cartoon to look smooth and at a high quality/frame rate but low enough for a decent upload speed to the web.

All in all, I give this animation an 8/10.

I'm going to make a cartoon!

For our next assignment at college we have been told that we will be making 2D animations. The only major thing we have been told about it is that it must be at least 45 seconds long, and it will be made in Flash.

In the next few days I will be posting my research on existing Flash animations, this will include what I did and did not like about them. The content of them as well as the actual animation techniques used.

E-zine article for college - Flash for computer games, what you need to know

Online Flash games, for the most part, are superb ways we use to either kill time or relax with and on average it will keep our attention for a good five to ten minutes at a time. They are mostly designed to be easy to ‘pickup and play’. This means that the controls will be relatively simple, as will understanding the objective of the game. We as consumers will only usually play Flash games for a relatively short time, so being easy to understand is one vital ingredient for a great game, another would be the game mechanics behind this. Excellent game mechanics for an online Flash game will mean that the game is made to be simple in terms of controls, and the objective of the game will try to interest the user, or even ‘addict’ them to keep them trying to reach it if they fail. Another thing that users will expect from a Flash game online is for it to load relatively quickly, you wouldn’t want to wait ages for something that you may only play for a short while.

Since its birth in 1996, Flash games have grown in popularity and have revolutionised online gaming. From 1996 to 2004 Flash games, whilst still in their infancy, had trouble running on lower spec machines. But since, Flash has had improvements made to the program and Flash Player, online games have never run so smoothly.

Today, there are millions of Flash gaming sites, with many more Flash games available for free, just to pick up and play. Many of these Flash gaming sites even allow you to create your own account on them, and save your scores on their games (for a good example, see http://www.addictinggames.com/). ‘Article base’ explains how these Flash games began to impact peoples everyday lives (1), ‘Amazingly these addicted game lovers were ready to cut down time from their work just to play these Macromedia Flash games!’ Flash games have been constantly evolving in terms of game types, playability and functionality since the beginning. On top of this, since Adobe took over Macromedia (and taking on Flash), Flash has become more powerful, easier and more available to use. Anyone with an internet connection can download Flash Player for free; every new computer already has this on its operating system an 99% of all internet using computer have used Adobe Flash Player (2).

So we know that the game mechanics and playability of Flash games make them so popular, but surely there are other factors? Yes, indefinitely. Another major factor that weighs in to the equation would the Flash Player itself. This and how Flash relates to it. Flash was made to display ‘rich media’ types. It can display relatively detailed graphics with ease, as well as audio and video elements. Flash games can even be made using vector images, eliminating the threat of pixilation completely. Most online Flash games will only take up part of the screen; this means it does not have to load as many large files from a development point of view. Also from a development point of view, by using ActionScript 3.0 within Flash, elements can be loaded in from an external source only if and when they are needed (If you are unfamiliar with the term ActionScript, it is basically the coding language used to create Flash programs.). When developers use this method when creating their games, it can make the game run even faster than normal because the game is only loading in elements when they are needed during game play.

Generally, the best place to find Flash games is on specialised Flash gaming sites, this is because many different games are uploaded to these sites from different companies, even games that people have managed to make in their spare time, as a non profit type project. In fact, sites such as www.newgrounds.com even allow you to submit your own content for free, for others to play with online. Sites like these are very helpful as they allow smaller game designers to upload their games free of charge, on to a site that usually has a sufficient amount of traffic to support the game and submit feedback.  

In addition to this, if you are interested in Flash gaming, it is always good to check out some Flash gaming sites that are based upon a community type structure. This means they allow you to create your own account (usually this is free) and submit feedback on the games you play. Similarly, as I discussed earlier, some also allow you to upload your own games, should you want to. Usually these types of sites will also have forums, allowing you to find out more about Flash gaming.

Throughout this article, I have generally talked about points relating to smaller online Flash games; however there are some huge hits on the internet that are much larger games, and allow you to create your own account and even save the game. To see a good example of a larger online Flash game, try ‘Farmville.’ By connecting with the popular social media site ‘Facebook’, ‘Farmville’ has also become incredibly popular. The game allows you to create an account with your Facebok identification, then save your progress as you play through the game. This shows that when using Flash for gaming purposes, there are no limits. More experienced programmers will even make 3D Flash games, these will still work on any computer with a Flash player.

The technical side of online Flash gaming in terms of how they are distributed involves some know-how about actually using Flash itself. Generally game files once exported are ‘.swf’ files. These are basically what are used to run the game with Flash player. As mentioned earlier, it is always good to keep file size to a minimum because it will cut down loading time if it is being used online. ‘.swf’ files will use all of the elements used when creating the game in Flash still saved inside itself, with a much smaller file size than the actual Flash project or ‘.fla’ file.

Today in the Flash gaming world, it is mostly online based. This is why I have been explaining points related to this. The reason that it is based more online is because there are no disks you have to buy, and nothing you have to save when downloading the game (there are Flash games which do allow you to save, they will automatically save a file on your computer.). Flash gaming has not always been mostly based online. Since its birth in 1996, the online world of Flash gaming had only just begun to grow. There are countless amounts of Flash games available to us with a click of a button, from many Flash gaming specific sites.

References:

(1)    http://jamiehanson.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/history-of-flash-games-and-how-it-has-evolved-747482.html - articles base.

(2)    http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/ - Adobe.