Flash in the Pan - What is the Future of Flash Animation?

Those funny animated e-mail attachments, the Christmas card animation you received from your cousin in Florida: Flash is a program that allows a story to be told in its entirety.

The medium is similar to traditional animation but allows for greater interactivity for viewers. Flash has achieved a solid following and is snowballing into a cultural movement of sorts. The question is what will the future hold for this emerging medium? The Past:When the evolution of the Internet as we know it today began the norm was a lot different from what we have come to expect today. In most cases text was all that would be available on most personal and professional websites. As the general population of Internet users increased so did the number of websites with viable content. This content came in the form of compressed jpeg and gif images.

Slowly the trend moved to the animated gif and rollovers a technology that can still be seen in use today, the outcome usually seen in banner ads which load a separate image every few seconds to give the illusion of motion. These primitive technologies are still in use today, but the general consensus is that they are slowly on their way out-making way for truly interactive content. The aim is to have Internet bandwidth reach a point where it can compete with television or meld with television to create something new.

The Present:
Today Flash is being used to create websites which are trully interactive and that allow for a unique user experience. These websites are becoming the standard and are replacing traditional HTML sites by the millions.

Corporate websites are using Flash technology as the norm creating sites such as: http://www.tombraidermovie.com and http://www.shrek.com both of which generate interest in their respected films.

Flash is also being used to create art, interactive music, CD ROMS, corporate presentations, business plans, annual reports, games and webisodes. Not a bad combination considering it all comes from one program.What is preventing the whole world from experiencing this dynamic content bandwidth?

The speed at which one connects to the content. Millions have started to embrace Bell Sympatico High Speed and Shaw@Home. The need for speed is a reality. As high speed connections enter more homes the need for dynamic content increases. Corporations and small businesses need to offer something different. Consumers must be attracted and retained. Portals must deliver new in real-time as CNN now does. No two people see the same thing at the same time.

Many developers have created content that is cutting edge, not defined by parameters or knows. Truly original works. I have outlined a few web sites for you to visit, seeing, hearing and feeling is believing.

The Future:
Many see a future where you will get together with your family to watch popular shows such as “Who wants to be a millionaire” or “survivor”-the difference will be that you-along with millions of others will be able to play along through your web-enabled set-top box. This will mean that you can influence who gets to win the million at the end of “Survivor” or qualify to become a contestant on “Who wants to be a millionaire”. This is a long way off but it is definitely in the future. And where will present technology come into play?

Imagine being able to buy the shirt that your favorite television personality is wearing in real-time. Product delivered on impulse. Viewer determines content. There will no longer be demographics to follow, as content will be delivered according to your unique personal profile.

The closest thing to what will be can be seen in the Macromedia Flash player. 95% of Internet users have the player installed on their PC's and it is available for download free of charge.

Flash allows for a lot of freedom when it comes to the design of interactive presentations, websites, cartoons, etc. This freedom allows developers to create immersive content (or entertainment), which allows the user not only to watch the cartoon or play the game-but to interact with the content on a new level. Your PC becomes a virtual entertainment portal where you can watch entertaining programs, cartoons, play games, etc.

Some of the latest and greatest applications which will use flash is majestic a game that is being developed by EA. This game will allow players to login and play the game when they want and from any PC in the world. What more the game is immersive. Players will be bombarded with game tips and clues through telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail messages. This will blur the line between reality and fiction. And it is web-based.

I asked Greg Rewis of Macromedia a question about bandwidth:
How do you see Flash evolving as true bandwidth hits the general population in the form of Web TV, etc.?
“Well, here at the UCON in New York City, Excite@Home showed how they are deploying their portal page for their set-top broadband users done completely in Flash. When asked why they are doing it in Flash, the answer was that they found the ability to deliver far richer, more interactive content to be the decisive reason. Also at UCON, Macromedia announced that it is working with BSQUARE Corporation and DT Research, Inc., which will both work with OEMs and other system developers to port and integrate the Macromedia Flash Player to Internet-enabled devices such as set-top boxes, thin clients, Internet appliances, and other mobile and wireless smart devices.

As bandwidth grows, it is becoming even more important for the content, which is delivered to be a more engaging experience, achieved at even faster speeds. I like to use the analogy of the television. When you change the channel on your TV, you expect the picture to appear immediately. In the same vein, when I am surfing on a fast connection, I expect the content to be close to instantaneous. Because Flash content has a very small footprint and, as an added bonus it streams, it allows sites to deliver this type of content in this very 'instantaneous' fashion. In comparing an HTML page with highly optimized images to a Flash experience, the Flash experience will almost always be smaller - and through the high level of interactivity in Flash - it very definitely becomes a richer experience. Additionally, through the use of Flash, it allows authors to develop content that can be viewed in exactly the same way whether they are viewing it in a browser, on a PocketPC or on a set-top box. This is an obvious win for the developer in that they no longer have to fight with the inconsistencies currently experienced when trying to deliver HTML content to these devices.”

The future of Flash depends on creators
The program developed by macromedia allows almost unlimited storytelling ability. Anyone can be a Flash animator - all it takes is imagination and sharing. In most cases Flash animators do it all; write, produce, direct, animate and conceive imaginative stories to display in a format like no other. Flash allows for a story to be told from a point of view that cannot be duplicated allowing the creative vision to remain pure. The small file size and projector option allows for flash animations to be easily distributed (as opposed to the constraints of traditional mediums like television) to an audience.

Flash will eventually go mainstream
Flash, or its' predecessor, will soon be as mainstream as television. Flash in its current form can be compared to punk rock. Similar to punk rock, Flash speaks mostly to a younger generation. Flash (.exe) files are swapped among friends, ascassette tapes have been exchanged in the past. And most importantly, Flash, for the most part, is not controlled. This makes it a pure art form-unaffected by networks, focus groups, and popular opinion.

Then what?
Before long you will be able to surf channels of interactive programming from the comfort of your living room. When this day comes Flash animation will surely be there (albeit in a different form). Eventually, corporations will want to peddle everything from toothpaste to toilet paper using witty flash characters.

The future of Flash will largely depend on the storytellers of the present and future and their ability to retain their creativity in the face of these changes. Flash animators are not puppeteers, but are creators, innovators and storytellers. The tools will change, but the essence will remain the same, as the purpose will remain - to share an idea, a thought, and a story with others. Creators will define the future of Flash. I hope that we can keep our strings intact.

 

 

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