1. Case Study: Using Macromedia Director
Unit H

2. Objectives Plan the movie Understand Director
Get started with Director
Set movie properties
Use the Tool palette
Assemble the cast
Play the movie

3. Objectives Animate the movie Create Lingo scripts
Add a second animation
Create buttons
Add sound
Distribute the movie

4. Scenario Multimedia Design Center (MDC) Clients like Learning R Us
Short children’s animations via Web or CD
Objective
Create short opening movie for the FunTime series

5. Planning the Movie Concept Goal Target Audience Treatment
Specifications
Storyboard
Navigation

6. Concept Children’s educational titles
Mission: provide both educational and entertaining experiences for audience
New series is FunTimes
User has fun by choosing the “adventure”
Each adventure is different educational path

7. Goal User should have Increase awareness of company
Entertaining experience
Encounter educational objectives
Based on user input
Increase awareness of company
Increase sales of educational titles

8. Target Audience May or may not have access to Web Children ages 4-8
Primarily use computer for entertainment and education

9. Treatment Simplicity Ease of use Large, cartoon-type graphics
Sound animations with controls
Navigation buttons
Surprise elements

10. Target Playback System
Win 95 or later and Pentium or
Mac G3 and O7
56K modem
IE3 or Netscape 3 or later
Sound card
GIFs, BMPs and GIF animations
Arial text
Button controls
Audio (WAV files)

11. Storyboard and Navigation

12. Setup Resolution is 800x600 Colors are 16 bit IE5
Create mymovie folder
Copy publisher files into mymovie folder

13. Understanding Director
Movie metaphor using frames
Cast members put on stage
Graphics, sound, text
Score is frame where cast member appears

14. Stage

15. Cast Shows thumbnails/identifiers of cast members Imported
Drag to stage
Sprite is one instance of cast member
Can change colors, placement, behavior
Use Properties Inspector window

16. Score Frames and channels Channel
Consists of frames
Holds multiple cast members
Movie plays sequentially through frames
Can change this via scripts (branching)

17. Use with new or selected items on stage
Tool Palette
Create text, buttons, shapes
Use with new or selected items on stage

18. Animation

19. Getting Started Step #1 Window menu option
Toolbar, tool palette, stage, score and cast
Resize and move windows

20. Getting Started Step #1 Help File and Save mymovie folder
planefun filename

21. Movie Properties Step #2
Modify > Movie > Properties > Movie tab
Change stage size
Change stage color to blue

22. Tool Palette Step #3 Click Text tool button
Drag box in center of stage
Type text: Plane Fun from Learning R Us
Highlight text: Modify > Font
Arial, bold, 18 point, red

23. Changing a Sprite Step #4 Modify > Sprite > Properties
Click list arrow next to Copy
Click Background Transparent
Click Member tab
Type Heading in name box
Close inspector

24. Assembling the Cast Can create using Tool palette and Paint window
Can import into the Cast window
Once in cast window, you can drag them onto the stage as a sprite

25. Importing the Cast Step #5 Click Cast window title bar
File > Import
Click each filename and Add
cloud1, cloud2, hotair, hotair-snd, plane, plane-snd
Click Import
Click Bitmap Image
Click Same Format for Remaining Files, Click OK
Click Stage (16 bits)
Click Same Settings for Remaining Images, click OK

26. Placing Cast on Stage Step #6
Click Cast View Style button; resize window
Click Score window
Click frame 1, channel 2
Drag cloud1 to stage
Modify > Sprite > Properties
Make background transparent

27. Placing Cast on Stage Step #6 Click frame 1 in channel 3
Drag plane to stage
Change to Background Transparent
Click frame 1 in channel 4
Drag cloud2 to stage
Note: the higher the channel, the more “on top” the sprite is

28. Playing the Movie Step #7 Click Play button on taskbar
Playback head moves across all channels from frame 1 to frame 28
Default is to loop
Click the Stop and Rewind buttons
Rewind
Play
Stop

29. Animating the Movie
Change sprite’s position or appearance across frames
Path animation: dragging sprite and recording movement
Cell animation: create series of sprites and use tween function
Must specify keyframes

30. Tweening Animation Step #8
File > Preferences > Sprite > Tweening is checked on
Click circle (frame 2, channel 3)
Insert > Keyframe
Click plane on stage
Drag diagonally off the top of the stage

31. Tweening Animation Step #8 Click circle (frame 28, channel 3)
Insert > Keyframe
Modify > Sprite > Tweening > Path is on

32. Lingo Scripts
Script instructs Director to carry out a particular function
Can assign to sprites or frames
Scripting language called Lingo
When playback head reaches a frame, script executes (can pause or restart movie)

33. Creating Lingo Scripts
Step #9
Double-click frame 1 in script channel
Type: go to the frame
Same as a Pause; loops on first frame

34. Creating Lingo Scripts
Step #9
Click Button on Tool palette and draw the button
Type: Plane
Click the Plane button
Modify > Sprite > Script
on mouseUp
go to frame 2

35. Animations for Branching
Movie is linear by default
Create a new animation so user can jump to different part of movie
Place in same channel as plane

36. Setting Up For Second Animation
Step #10
Window > Cast
Modify > Movie > Properties
Extend frame 28 to frame 85 by dragging
Channels 1, 2 & 4

37. Creating Plane Animation
Step #10
Drag plane to stage and make background transparent (frame 30, channel 3)
Insert keyframes (frames 30 & 57, channel 3)
Drag plane behind top cloud
Modify > Sprite > Tweening > check Path

38. Creating Hot Air Balloon Animation
Step #10
Drag balloon to stage (frame 58, channel 3)
Background transparent
Insert keyframes (frames 58 & 85, channel 3)
Drag hot air balloon off top of stage
Modify > Sprite > Tweening > check Path

39. Button Interactivity Step #11 Plane Button Fun Button
Double-click frame 28 (script channel) & type: go to frame 2
Fun Button
Click frame 1, channel 6
Use button tool and draw a Fun button
Modify > Sprite > Script and type: go to frame 30
Double-click frame 85 (script channel) & type: go to frame 30

40. Button Interactivity Step #11 Stop Button
Click frame 1, channel 7
Use button tool and draw a Stop button
Modify > Sprite > Script and type: go to frame 1
Extend button over to frame 85
Next Button (inactive for now)
Click frame 1, channel 8
Use button tool and draw a Next button

41. Button Interactivity Step #11 Channels 5 and 6 Play movie
Have plane and fun buttons on stage for only 1 frame by dragging frame 28 down to frame 1
Play movie
Try plane, stop, and fun buttons
Save movie

42. Adding Sound Step #12 Window > Cast
Click Hide/Show Effects Channels button in score
Drag plane-snd from cast window
Frame 2, sound channel 1
Extend to frame 57
Drag hotair-snd from cast window
Frame 58, sound channel 1
Play and save movie

43. Distributing the Movie
3 Ways to Save Movie
Save and play as .dir movie with Director program
Create Projector for stand-alone version
Publish a movie in Shockwave format for Web

44. Creating a Projector Movie
File > Create Projector
Files of Type = Director Movie
Click planefun in your folder
Click Add
Click Create
Type fun-movie
Click Save
Double-click fun-movie.exe to run

45. Creating a Shockwave Movie
File > Publish Settings
Change settings to match dialog box
File > Publish
Save if necessary
Open browser
Open planefun.htm

46. Case Study: Using Macromedia Director
Unit H