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Rule 2 - The 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Rule If you can convey a thought, idea or concept with an image, a word or quick 4 second presentation rather than a 30 second production, do it. I can demonstrate this principle with a scene from one of my favorite movies - Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's a great moment in the Cairo market chase where Indy comes face to face with a giant bad guy brandishing an equally immense broadsword. In the original script, Indy gets into the greatest sword fight in cinema history. But as luck or good fortune would have it, Harrison Ford was very sick that day and lacked the stamina to shoot the scene as it was written. So Steven Spielberg, determined to stay on schedule, cuts a two day shoot into a single shot. The giant confidently twirls his sword, then Indy simply pulls his pistol and shoots the bad guy dead. A classic, memorable moment in a great film. In other words, cut to the chase, get to the point, and spare us your delusions of grandeur. You're probably not creating 'Lawrence of Arabia.' Rule 3 - Small is Good
Even with the rapid expansion of broadband, file size is still critical. Most Web surfers are still crawling along with their 33.6 and 56k modems. So always keep one eye on file size. Compress every graphic, even those 1 Kb files. In a program like Flash, use symbols. Audio can often contribute to half the bloating in multimedia productions. Fortunately, programs like Flash 5 and Director 8 import MP3 audio. Ask yourself, is it critical to use stereo when mono will do the job. Stereo doubles audio file size. Some multimedia programs generate reports detailing bandwidth use for an application. They will point out potential download choke points that might have to be addressed. The key is to find that happy compromise between file size and quality. Rule 4 - Good Audio is Sound Design I find that audio is often the most vital part of a multimedia production. Unfortunately, it's usually the part designers invest the least amount of time and effort. Combining voiceovers, sound effects and music require as much planning and hard work as the other half of the production. For voice over work, the biggest key is getting a clean recording. So toss those microphones you found buried with your $15 Acme sound card. Invest in a decent mic. The best option is to record in a studio, but that is not always an affordable option. Find a good interior room, in your home or a friend's, to make a recording. Do not record your own voice for your product overview or company presentation. If you are like me you will probably sound like a hyena after a double espresso. Find someone who has a firm voice and pay them a few bucks. 90 percent of actors are looking for work. Most of them will work for cheap. A scratchy, unprofessional voice can ruin a slick multimedia application. You know the saying: garbage in, garbage out. When it comes to audio effects these days, most designers are fortunate. There are a number of sound effect CDs on the market. Pick up a couple. There are also sound clip Websites. You can also create your own sound effects. If you are planning on adding a music soundtrack to your project don't use 'Jumping Jack Flash' for your Flash Design site without getting permission and knocking over a Brinks truck to pay for the rights. Fortunately there are a number of companies that sell royalty free music at reasonable prices. Another option is to befriend a musician and have him/her write a score for your production. |
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