Web Animation II Scripting Syllabus

Web Animation II:Scripting (35-2411-01)

Interactive Arts and Media
Columbia College Chicago
600 S. Michigan Ave,
Chicago, IL 60605
www.colum.edu

Instructor

Brian Nielsen
cell: (708) 254-3658
email: brian@iam.colum.edu
email: bnielsen@colum.edu
email: manvsfriction@gmail.com
AIM: manvsfriction

Course Description

Course further guides students through time-based software applications for future applicability in movement-enhanced web design. Students learn advanced ActionScript for animation, special effects, dynamic content, interactivity, and games. Students combine a variety of software programs for finished projects and will further their study of cross-platform hardware and software troubleshooting for motion-enhanced design.

Course Information

Web Animation II:
Scripting (35-2411-01)
Mondays, 3:30 - 6:20pm
623 S. Wabash Ave. Room 411

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, the student will:

• will apply the

fundamentals of computer programming through the use of Flash ActionScript.

• have an

understanding of developing software in Flash.

• carry several

ActionScript-based project to completion using Flash.

• effectively see

projects through from conception to implementation

• participate in class

critiques of work.

Required Texts

Foundation Actionscript for Flash 8 by Kristian Besley, David Powers, Sham Bhangal, Eric Dolecki (ISBN:1590596188)

Additional Recommended Texts

Essential Actionscript 3.0 by Colin Moock Flash 8 Cookbook by Joey Lott

Departmental Attendance Policy

Two late arrivals equal one absence. You are expected to be in class on time;

attendance is taken at the beginning of class. Two absences (even excused absences)

may result in a failing grade. Three absences and you FAIL- NO EXCEPTIONS. If an

absence cannot be avoided, it must be discussed with your instructor ahead of time.

Medical and other emergency leave of absences follow a different policy. Please contact your instructor if such a situation arises.

Conaway Center Statement

Students with disabilities are requested to present their Columbia accommodation

letters to their instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can

be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department or the faculty member,

as appropriate. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should

visit the office of Services for Students with Disabilities in room 520 of the Congress

building (312.344.8134/V or 312.360.0767/TTY). It is incumbent upon the student to

know their responsibilities in this regard.

Grading Policy

Grades are based upon a combination of course projects, completion of the required

reading, and participation in class discussion, projects, and lectures as follows:

Project 1: 15%

Project 2: 20%

Project 3: 20%

Class Participation: 10%

In-class Projects: 15%

Homework: 20%

Final Points / Letter Grade

94-100 A

90-93 A-

87-99 B+

84-86 B

80-83 B-

77-79 C+

74-76 C

70-73 C-

60-69 D

0-59 F

Course Overview

9/10

Course Introduction & Syllabus Review.

 Homework  
 Bring in 2 examples of Actionscript driven Flash sites that you find interesting 

9/17

Fundamentals of Actionscript mini-review: variables, event handlers, functions, relationships, syntax, properties

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapters 1 & 2 
 Make a movie that uses an event handler to trigger Actionscript-controlled movement 

9/24

Trivia Game

Discuss Project1.

Pre-planning Flash projects: storyboards, flowcharts.

How to trouble-shoot your own files

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 3 & 4
 Make a storyboard and flowchart for Project 1 and bring to class next week 

10/1

Datatypes, conditional statements, arrays & storing data in arrays Complex conditionals if, else if, else / switch, while, for. HANGMAN!

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapters 5 & 6   

10/8

Hangman code review.

Creating your own functions, passing arguments.

 Homework 
 Project 1 DUE NEXT NEXT WEEK     

10/15

Properties, Methods, Constructors, OOP.

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapters 7 & 8 
 Project 1 DUE NEXT NEXT WEEK     

10/22

Project 1 Due - Class Presentations and Analysis

Continued OOP

Discuss Project 2

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 9 
 Make a storyboard and flowchart for Project 2 and bring to class next week

10/29

Discuss Project 2 ideas

Working with XML in flash

Variable Scope

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 10
 Project 2 storyboards

11/5

Games & sprites; collisions, boundaries, movement, dragging, using the keyboard as a control Making your own components, using Actionscript to create movement with inertia, making your own tweens, swarming

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 11
 continue to work on Project 2

11/12

Scope, Duplicating and attaching movie clips.

 Homework 
 Project 2 DUE NEXT WEEK

11/19

present project 2

Discuss Project 3

The Drawing API.

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 12 
 Make a storyboard and flowchart for Project 3 and bring to class next week

11/26

Sound in Flash and linkage, the Sound object, controls, loading external sounds and streaming

 Homework 
 Read Foundation AS Chapter 13

12/3

php and databases?

12/10

Project 3 -Class Presentation and Analysis

Potluck?