Case Study: Using
Macromedia Director
Unit H
Objectives
Plan the movie
Understand Director
Get started with Director
Set movie properties
Use the Tool palette
Assemble the cast
Play the movie
2
Objectives
Animate the movie
Create Lingo scripts
Add a second animation
Create buttons
Add sound
Distribute the movie
3
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
4
Planning the Movie
Concept
Goal
Target Audience
Treatment
Specifications
Storyboard
Navigation
5
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
6
Goal
User should have
– Entertaining experience
– Encounter educational objectives
– Based on user input
Increase awareness of company
Increase sales of educational
titles
7
Target Audience
May or may not have access to Web
Children ages 4-8
Primarily use computer for entertainment and education
8
Treatment
Simplicity
Ease of use
Large, cartoon-type
graphics
Sound animations
with controls
Navigation buttons
Surprise elements
9
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)
10
Storyboard and Navigation
11
Setup
Resolution is 800x600
Colors are 16 bit
IE5
Create mymovie folder
Copy publisher files
into mymovie folder
12
Understanding Director
Movie metaphor using frames
Cast members put on stage
– Graphics, sound, text
Score is frame where cast
member appears
13
Stage
14
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
15
Score
Frames and channels
Channel
– Consists of frames
– Holds multiple cast
members
Movie plays
sequentially through
frames
– Can change this via scripts
(branching)
16
Tool Palette
Create text, buttons, shapes
Use with new or
selected items on stage
17
Animation
18
Step #1
Getting Started
Window menu
option
Toolbar, tool
palette, stage,
score and cast
Resize and
move windows
19
Step #1
Getting Started
Help
File and Save
mymovie folder
planefun filename
20
Step #2
Movie Properties
Modify > Movie > Properties > Movie tab
– Change stage size
– Change stage color to blue
21
Step #3
Tool Palette
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
22
Step #4
Changing a Sprite
Modify > Sprite > Properties
Click list arrow next to Copy
Click Background Transparent
Click Member tab
Type Heading in name box
Close inspector
23
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
24
Step #5
Importing the Cast
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
25
Step #6
Placing Cast on Stage
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
26
Step #6
Placing Cast on Stage
Click frame 1 in channel 3
– Drag plane to stage
– Change to Background Transparent
Click frame 1 in channel 4
– Drag cloud2 to stage
– Change to Background Transparent
Note: the higher the channel,
the more “on top” the sprite is
27
Step #7
Playing the Movie
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
28
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
29
Step #8
Tweening Animation
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
30
Step #8
Tweening Animation
Click circle (frame 28, channel 3)
– Insert > Keyframe
– Modify > Sprite > Tweening > Path is on
31
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)
32
Step #9
Creating Lingo Scripts
Double-click
frame 1 in
script
channel
Type: go to
the frame
Same as a
Pause; loops
on first frame
33
Step #9
Creating Lingo Scripts
Click Button on Tool
palette and draw the
button
Type: Plane
Click the Plane button
Modify > Sprite > Script
on mouseUp
go to frame 2
34
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
35
Setting Up For Second
Step #10
Animation
Window > Cast
Modify > Movie >
Properties
Extend frame 28
to frame 85 by
dragging
– Channels 1, 2 & 4
36
Step #10 Creating Plane Animation
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
37
Creating Hot Air Balloon
Step #10
Animation
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
38
Step #11
Button Interactivity
Plane 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
39
Step #11
Button Interactivity
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
– Extend button over to frame 85
40
Step #11
Button Interactivity
Channels 5 and 6
– 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
41
Step #12
Adding Sound
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
42
Distributing the Movie
3 Ways to Save Movie
1) Save and play as .dir
movie with Director
program
2) Create Projector for
stand-alone version
3) Publish a movie in
Shockwave format
for Web
43
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 funmovie.exe to run
44
Creating a Shockwave Movie
File > Publish
Settings
Change settings to
match dialog box
File > Publish
– Save if necessary
Open browser
Open planefun.htm
45
Case Study: Using
Macromedia Director
Unit H