Week 6: Flash Family Tree

Week 6
Describe your idea for your Animation/Interactivity assignment (which is due in Week 9). What inspired this idea? Which examples shown in lecture/lab gave you inspiration? What other examples exist on the Internet that can act as examples/inspiration? (Link to them and describe how they are relevant.) What will you have to do to accomplish your idea (e.g. any research, skill building, etc.)? Which techniques in Flash will you employ to make it happen?

For my animation project I have decided to create an interactive Family Tree.

I got this idea after recently meeting up with a family member (whom I’m not ever sure how I’m related to) and talking about other family members (which I can’t remember the names of). She told me that she has a section of her family tree copied down, and that she knows of other people in the family who have done the same. She asked if I could take on the responsibility of the records she has been holding onto. I realised immediately that the best way to keep all this information was online.

Someday I hope to turn the project into a website, but for now I’m keeping it simple and close to my parents.

An example from class that helped me figure out how to make the tree grow. I learned I have to draw the full tree, place it on a future key frame, and then work backwards, erasing more parts on every previous frame until I reach the first frame which only has the roots.

I looked up a bunch of flash examples online, but none were very similar to what I have in my head.

This is the only video I could find that even remotely looked like what I wanted. It’s really cool but way beyond what I can or want to do right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUaE0UlGYxE

I want people’s names be buttons on the tree and when you click on one you go to another frame which has a short bio and picture of that person.

For my movie clip I’m going to have small leaves on the tree which will constantly be waving in the wind.

I haven’t chosen music yet because I know that will be easier to choose once more of the project is done. All I know is that I want it to be subtle.