Finished Flash

My Artist Statement
I had been sitting on the bus when we reached the first stop and a woman with a dog got on. There was much tension and arguing from the back of the bus, while the woman with the dog and another woman bickered about an animal riding the bus. At the next stop a young boy got onto the bus and saw the dog. So excited and surprised a dog could be riding the bus, he announced, “A dog on the bus! How unusual!” This was the inspiration for my Flash assignment. I decided to adapt this idea into a children’s story. I have a giraffe and a cow riding the bus while a child sees the animals on the bus and says “How unusual!” The last scene completes the humour of the story. This time it is the child seen riding the bus and the animals surprised.
The goal for my Flash animation was to make a video a child would like. My idea was to make a short animation, demonstrating multiple skills learned throughout the lab class. I had the intention that my Flash animation would be a silly video that could air in-between television shows, on a children’s television network like TVO Kids.
The program I used to create this animation was Adobe Flash. The easiest part of this assignment was creating my idea. After establishing my idea, I created a rough layout of time frames and the storyline. Once I went to work, I was unsure of the type of images I wanted to use. I decided it would be best and most child-like if I drew the pictures. I used the vectors tool, the pencil tool and the brush tool the most frequently. The brush tool was very handy, because it estimated your drawing outlines and then created a smooth curve, creating a more cartooned look. There were many tutorials explaining Flash in great-detail, and because of this I found little challenge. The hardest
part was creating a “play” button. I seemed to follow the tutorials step-by-step, but for some reason there was always a “script error”, resulting in defective buttons. It was at this point when I felt very frustrated. I thought it would be best if I left the buttons for another day. Sure enough, after leaving and coming back to work on the animation, I attempted once again to insert buttons. They ended up working perfectly.
This project really taught me about patience. While using Flash I learned that when something does not work properly again and again, it is personally best for me to take a step back and then approach the project from a new angle.
Building my animation was an admiration experience for those who work with Flash daily. I have seen animations since I was a kid, but never knew how much time and dedication constructing one required. My appreciation and respect for animators has positively changed from having been in their shoes.
I do believe that my Flash animation hits my target audience. I think the childish drawings, the fun music, the easy to read words, and the plot of the animation, all appeal to kids. My animation did meet my expectations and original intent. Overall, I am excited and proud of what I have produced.