Flash Websites

I have always liked the effect a good Flash website can achieve. I found these two websites that had been nominated for awards based on their Flash capabilities.

The first one is a website called Waterlife.

"Waterlife is a showcase for the documentary film of the same name that offers its audience a wonderful preview of the lush cinematography and rich storytelling found in the film. The true genius of the site, however, is found in its fluid navigation that recalls the gentle motion of a lake." (http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/best-flash-site)



Here is the loading screen for the Waterlife website. As it loads the vertical blue lines acrossthe screen, they turn into a wave (as seen in the image) when the mouse is rolled over.



After the website has loaded, you are introduced to the home page which offers a brief description of the websites content. The background image is a short video clip of an underwater scene.



On this image, you can see a mini photo collage. Each photo represents a different topic relevant to the importance of water. When the mouse is rolled over the picture expands with a caption at the bottom.



After selecting a topic, you are directed to a page which gives an explanation. The background image is constantly moving.

Website URL: http://waterlife.nfb.ca/

The second flash website that caught my eye was a website for NVIDIA graphic cards called NVIDIA - Speak Visual.

"Speak Visual is a Flash based micro site designed to promote the power of NVIDIA's graphic processors and was developed in a collaboration between the Odopod & Cutwater design studios. The site was launched in December 2008 and currently serves as a showcase for a multimedia design contest sponsored by NVIDIA."



This is the loading screen for the website. It has a green object moving in and around the two white pillars. There is also sound for this loading screen, because as the green object moves around, there is a swishing sound to accompany it, which gives a realistic effect.



You are then greeted by this page. It shows all the different people involved with Speak Visual. When the mouse is rolled over each individual person, they come forward, and look around as if they have been effected by the jolt forward.



Once you selected a person, a bio of them appears and their picture moves to the right and they continue to look around. They also follow the mouse if you wave it above their head.



The video also starts playing in the middle of the box. Also to the side you have an option to select other people's bios. Again they react to the mouse, and smile when you hover over them.

Website URL: http://www.speakvisual.com/#/spotlight