LCC 6503: Advanced Multimedia Design
Fall Quarter 1997
Section A
Instructor: Greg VanHoosier-Carey
Required Text:
Lee Allis et al, Inside Macromedia Director 6 with Lingo (New Riders Press, 1997) Available at the Georgia Tech Bookstore. Be sure you purchase the text that covers the newest version of Macromedia Director (i.e. 6.0).
Course overview:Advanced Multimedia Design will build upon concepts introduced in LCC 6103 while taking a more expansive view of the production process by focusing primarily on a single large-scale project. The emphasis will be on designing for interactivity while applying fundamental design concepts pertaining to color, sound, text/typography, animation, and video. Students will develop a project idea through the various production stages including the proposal, flowcharting, scripting, storyboarding, implementation, and limited usability testing. Using Macromedia Director 6.0 as an authoring environment, students will learn the scripting language Lingo and will be introduced to the fundamentals of object-oriented programming.
Assignments and grading:The course grade will be based on three assignments weighted as indicated below:
In-class demonstration (20%). Each student will sign up for one topic pertaining to Macromedia Director, which they will research and present in class. Students will be expected to post their demonstration materials on the web for use by other students during the course of the class. Although only one person per class will be presenting each topic, a student may choose to collaborate with the student working on the same topic in the other section.
Fun-sized project (30%). Students will use Director to develop a multimedia solution to a real-world design issue presented in class. All fun-sized projects will be completed by individuals, not teams.
Super-sized project (50%). Students may produce either a completed, stand-alone multimedia project or a prototype for a more complex multimedia application. All projects must make use of Lingo, include a Shockwave component, and be accompanied by a web-displayed design rationale. Other pre-production materials such as flowcharts, etc. should be turned in with the super-sized project. Team projects will be permitted as long as each individual participates in the scripting process. Cross-class team projects will also be permitted as long as students make appropriate arrangements for dealing with in-class work sessions and presentations.
Web Resources:Some highlights:
Director and Photoshop filters--why some are compatible and some aren't
Lingo alternatives to the tempo channel
Using the mouseCast for more accurate rollover detection (i.e.,irregular shapes instead of bounding box
Using palettes with digital video
Grip-Boy Macromedia Director Articles
Some highlights:
How to avoid anti-aliasing white fringeSome highlights:
Make the cursor a flashlight that lights up all that it passes over
Cross-platform issues
Tips for fast playback of QT
Pop up menus using lingo
Custom sound fades
Lingo script to simulate gravity in animations
Puppeting sprites
Detecting shockwave with javascript
Director Online Users Group (DOUG)
Some highlights:
Includes downloadable behavior library
How to grab media from the net
ShockTagger, an answer to Embed/object tags (found in the Using Director Archive)
CleverMedia, information on Shockwave
Some highlights:
11 ways to make shockwave files smaller
PuppetSound, the Right Way
Shocker.Com, a guide to shockwave sites
A companion to the book Shocking the WebSome highlights:
A WebLingo Dictionary
Featured artist
A companion to the book Shockwave Studio
Some highlights:
Net-specific lingo
A list of places to download scripts
Templates for things such as how to use javascript to open a new window for a shockwave file
Download issues of Lingo User's Journal
Web Review's When to Shock, When to GIF
Marc Canter, the guy who invented directorSome highlights:
How to send email in shockwave
The top 3 reasons why your Shockwave movie won't play off of the server
Techniques for creating a cross-platform palette
Web site for a course at indiana: lingo explained simply