Task 1
- 1. Task 1 Investigating the use of Web animation Banner Ads Banner ads are used to promote and advertise products and services. Banner ads have recently become animated to make it stand out from the rest of the page. Static adverts end up blending into the page especially when the fonts are very similar. Banner ads are a very cheap way to advertise, it is also placed in a very prominent place on a web page. Right at the top usually above the content. So if it’s in plain sight and Animated interfaces The animated interfaces are used to transition from one page to another, for example on The Simpsons web page when a user wants to visit another page a short transition plays where the camera pans back, moves either Left or Right then zooms in on the next stall or page. This style of transitions or navigations is a nice change from some standard webpages where the screen becomes blank and a matter of seconds later the next page loads up. The flash websites have the edge here because if a normal webpage fails to load a majority of people tend to navigate away from the page; however when a flash website loads it usually has some form of transition or loading animation to entertain or occupy the rather impatient audience. Another example of an animated interface is volume control. If a webpage has a piece of music or sound effects playing the user will usually want to change the volume at some point. If a webpage has music on a loop, the music becomes repetitive and annoying so volume control is crucial in some cases. Linear Animations Linear animations are usually animations that have a story too them like a cut-scene or movie but in the context of a flash website, they are usually an animation that cannot be skipped. The animation can cover up the loading or is put there completely for aesthetics. The example pictured is of a donut spinning around showing the page is loading
- 2. Another instance The Simpsons website shows the Simpson family heading to the school for a careers day and Bart is filming the whole show (the user sees the website through the camera lens). That cut-scene could have been left out because it is not relevant to the website. This animation is an example of an animation that can be skipped. Interactive animation An interactive animation can be anything from a roll over button to a mini game (pictured). In the mini game you control the slingshot by moving the mouse left and right, then click to fire stones at the targets. The targets across the screen and in order to hit them you need to aim a little bit ahead. Instruction This is a flash animation which shows you how to create a simple flash animation. Directions appear on screen and will not move on until the step has been followed. It’s very useful and not to mention helpful. It also allows the user to replicate the animation in flash and adapt the knowledge to other animations using the same basic concept.