Whether you have to create a flash for class, or you are creating one for work, it is always a good idea to draw up a plan in order to help make the project run smoother. The more you know about what you desire to make the easier it will make it to put the project together.
- The first thing you should be asking yourself is what is the purpose or goal of the flash project?
- What message are you sending to your audience?
- Who is your audience?
- Are you selling a product or is your project simply informative?
- Will the project be interactive?
- Will the pattern repeat?
- Will there be sound?
- How long will it last?
Once you are able to answer these types of questions, you will be able to start to develop a plan for your flash project. To do this you may want to construct a structure or pattern for your flash movie to follow. One way to do this is to draw up a process chart or flow chart*.
As you can see this is nothing more than a basic flow chart. All the things you should be thinking about are in the flow chart above. Remember, a flash movie always repeats itself at some moment, but regardless you may wish to put in a looper to help make the movie run smoother. If not, you should then perhaps be thinking of your movie fading out after it has ended. Then you can begin to draw up a storyboard.
The best way to start is to draw up a picture board so that you can see exactly where your flash movie is going. It should look something like this.
Once you have written out simple scenes like what you see above it will be easier for you to construct a script to work with while constructing your flash movie.
It is always a good thing to remember to use the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method where creating any project. The more complex the project the more likely you are to lose your audience. You also want to make sure your file is somewhat small because you do not want your audience to have to wait very long to download the file.
The next thing to do would be to write up a script. The script will help you with every detail necessary to make your project complete to get to your message. Your script should look something like this. Writing the script will also help you think of the layers you will need to create to make the flash movie and the order in which the items belong.
| Scene | Text | Graphics | Audio | Video | Animation | Navigation | Transition |
| 1 | The Simple Hamburger | None | None | None | None | None | Fade out |
| 2 | None | Burger Bun Base | None | None | Guideline: circulate bun onto scene | None | None |
| 3 | None | Burger | None | None | Guideline: Burger follows bun exactly and lands on top | None | None |
The script* will become your process or directions for exactly the way you want the flash to work. The detail you provide in your script will help you to make sure you do not forget anything that will add to the flash itself before you post it.
You will have to decide on the props you will need for your movie and where you are going to get them. You should also be aware of the items you are going to draw. Some props you may have to take pictures of the objects you need then do the editing necessary in Photoshop. It may even be necessary to remove the background from the items you need, or you may wish to have them line drawn. You should create a list of them items you need, where you are going to get them and any work you will have to do to make them item usable for your flash.
The more detail you have of what you need and what you need to do will help you manage your time and help you figure out the time necessary to complete the project.
Place all your items in a folder labeled for your project, import them into the library, and create your flash. Before you post it, make sure you have the project running as efficiently and as smooth as possible, making sure everything is happening within the stage of the project.
With this kind of information, you cannot help but find putting together that flash movie that much easier and more thoroughly complete. You will be looked at as amazing.
*Information for Flow Chart and Script from the book, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional by Andy Anderson, and Steve Johnson, Perspection, Inc. page 9.
