Today is your last chance to take advantage of early bird discounts for Flashforward2006 Seattle. The Flashforward Conference & Film Festival will take place at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, February 27 through March 2 — four days of learning and inspiration about the next generation of Flash and related technologies. Register now! Call 877-435-2744 (410-386-0646 outside the US and Canada) or visit the store.
Flash and, not or — Flashforward2006 Seattle has many sessions on using Flash with your favorite “other” technologies…
Today’s interview is with Evan Spiridellis of JibJab. Evan will be presenting “Cut, Paste, Animate: Collage Animation” at Flashforward2006 Seattle. Enjoy!
ES: I’m Evan Spiridellis, Co-Founder of JibJab Media Inc. and “Head Art Guyâ€. I’m an animator and artist by trade, and have been producing animation for almost a decade.
ES: My session will document the process that we use to produce our signature style of Flash animation at JibJab. I’ll take attendees through the design, asset prep and all the way through the actual animation.
ES: We just upgraded to Flash 8 recently so I’m still getting my hands dirty.
ES: Currently, we are working on a short spec trailer for a feature film. If it is well accepted by the studio, then it will be a feature. We’re also working on our original work for the web, and work for an advertising client. JibJab.com is also being transformed into more than just a place to host our animations, and I am helping to guide that transition.
ES: Everyday more and more amazingly talented people seem to be putting their work online. There are countless artist blogs out there and I love discovering new artists, illustrators and designers.
ES: Flash is an amazing tool that has served us so well throughout our 6 years in business and it’s so great to see it come into its own and breakout into the world of broadcast and film animation. Events like Flashforward and the Film Festival help to show the world how much Flash can do, and give the tons of talented folks using the program a great platform to showcase their work.
ES: Judging from my past experiences at the conference every session offers something unique and I’m something of a wanderer by nature. I’ll be checking out as much as I can but will be certain to check out the other animation sessions.
ES: There are tons of great sessions happening at Flashforward and I don’t want to hype my session over someone else’s, but I can say that the festival in general is a golden opportunity for anyone who works with Flash to see some quality work, learn some new tricks and make great connections.
Today’s interview is with Nathan Moody, who will be co-presenting the session “Deconstructing Reebok and Timberland Case Studies” with Fluid colleague Darren David. If you have any doubt that these sites represent some of the best shoe-configurator tools ever, please note that both of them are finalists for the Flashforward Film Festival. Be sure too check them out: RBKCustom; Timberland Custom Boot Configurator.
Nathan Moody: I’m the Director of Creative Services at Fluid, Inc., where I focus on conceptual design and creative workflow development. I’ve done a little bit of everything over the years, from motion picture special effects to broadcast design to UI design to illustration.
NM: While most online configurators use server-side technologies to render and ship down image updates, we decided to make a “thick-client” application in which all image updates would be rendered on the client side, enabling significant increases to user experience responsiveness and immersion. Our session will drill into all the details of how we were able to make this happen, from both a technical and creative standpoint.
NM: There are so many new enhancements that it’s hard to pick even a few. However, the new video features are fantastic, and the addition of the new standalone converter helps to add some flexibility to the video deployment workflow. Those are the areas in which I’ve been noticing some great improvements. The 3×3 scaling grid and raster filters are also pretty outstanding additions to Flash’s feature set.
NM: At Fluid, we’re focused on helping consumers have positive experiences with our clients’ brands and products. To this end, we’re focusing on using technology to better serve the consumer’s needs.
NM: The tools I use are my greatest source of UI inspiration. Take Photoshop or Flash, for example. Each offers between two and ten ways to do the exact same thing. Rather than being a failing, such redundancy instead has created environments in which users can achieve similar results based on how they think, rather than how the UI forces them to think This kind of mature software development can offer a lot of inspiration for online applications.
NM: It’s always important to remember that you aren’t working in a vacuum. There are a lot of people who’ve worked through the same issues, had the same headaches, and even have enjoyed the same successes. It’s vital to connect with the larger design/develop community and compare notes so we can all learn from each other, and so we can all do a better job of fulfilling the needs of our clients and our users.
NM: I’ll be attending as many sessions as I can. When these conferences are so short, it’s time for full-on immersion mode until my synapses overload!
NM: These conferences and sessions are critical for improving your tool knowledge and your techniques, but the most important thing is to get back to your studios and do the good work, improving the user experience and delivering the best content! See y’all there!
Today’s interview is with Gabe Kean, principal of Gabe Kean Design, whom many of us first got to know through his work at Born Magazine. Gabe will be presenting Flash® on Display at Flashforward2006 Seattle. Some of his interactive environment work will be viewable in Seattle during Flashforward; read on for details and make time to see it…
GK: My name is Gabe Kean — a/v exhibit designer in Seattle. Most of my work is for museums or other clients who are interested in interactive environments — telling stories with audio/visual media.
GK: My session will focus on how I’ve translated my experience with Flash projects on the Web to using interactivity and storytelling in exhibit environments. I’ll also spend some time discussing my approach to these kinds of projects, and how collaboration is the key to successful outcomes.
GK: Currently, I’m working on new exhibits about microcomputers for an Albuquerque museum, helping with Seattle’s new Wing Luke Museum (Asian culture, history and art, opens 2007), and also co-curating a small show at Richard Hugo House for our non-profit Born Magazine.
The Hugo House show (1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA) opens February 3rd, and will be open to the public during Flashforward. We’re also having a reading/collaboration event on March 2nd there (7pm-9pm), led by celebrated poet Marvin Bell. All Flashforward attendees are welcome to come see the exhibit, and stay for the talk.
While in Seattle, attendees might also enjoy visiting Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. (8414 Greenwood Ave North. Seattle): a fun retail environment that helps to support 826 Seattle (creative writing and tutoring center for kids.*) I worked closely with artists Web Crowell and Seb Chevrel to pull together the many videos displays, peepholes, and projections.
GK: I’m inspired by architecture and history.
GK: It’s really a great opportunity to share work with each other. It always gets everyone excited to keep pushing themselves to take their work further.
GK: If you are interested in learning how interactive art, design, and exhibits can intersect, this session is for you.
* FF: Readers might be interested to note that 826 Seattle is affiliated with 826 Valencia in San Francisco — AKA Dave Eggers’ Pirate Supply Store. This was a routine stop of ours when attending Flashforward SF events so it’s a nice surprise to find out about the Seattle equivalent!
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