Week 10

Monday * March 14

Creating a multi-part package with audio files and photos; video in Flash.

DUE 9 a.m. Monday (via e-mail): Critique 2 (this is the Monday immediately after Spring Break)

READ Lesson 8 in Adobe Flash CS5 Professional Classroom in a Book (ACiaB), pp. 295–329; SEE "NOTES" BELOW for rationale.

EXAMINE The Fight for Iraq: A Regional Powerplay (MSNBC.com). Yes, it is all Flash!

Screen capture: Iraq: A Regional Powerplay

Notes * * *

We will skip the first part of Lesson 8 in the book (about sound). Reason: In journalism packages, sound is almost never used that way, as short little sound effects embedded in the SWF. Instead, we load larger sound files dynamically using ActionScript.

In class I will walk you through the normal AS3 techniques for loading external MP3 files into Flash and controlling them with player buttons.

Audio editing: The book's author shows you (in the part of Lesson 8 we are skipping) how to make small edits to audio within Flash. I would not do that; I would always edit audio files in a separate editing program. Some of you already know how to edit audio with Audacity. For those who don't, we'll spend PART of one lecture this week on basic use of Audacity, a free audio-editing program.

Video: In this course you'll learn how to work with and control finished video files in Flash. Video editing is not covered in this course.

Supplemental * * *