Unit 60: Interactive Media Authoring
Danika Stokes
Interactive media, also referred to a media hybrid technology, is the integration of digital media including combinations of electronic text graphics and moving images. The aim of it is to engage the user and interact with him or her, by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio and games, CD's, MP3's etc. Non-linear is where you can control something like telling something to move or walk or even stop or play. Linear is where you are passive something and you have to watch something start to finish with absolutely no control.
“Authoring involves the assembly and bringing together of Multimedia” Dave Marshall.
Interactive media is not just on the Internet it can be seen on video games DVDs and CD-ROMs for example on a DVD you need to press the play button on your remount to play the film. Similarly to a video game where you have to press multiple buttons to make your character move.
Video and games are the two most common types of interactive media. Movies and most TV shows are generally not considered interactive media, however shows that require the audience to participate could be considered interactive media.
Social networks are also an example, sites use graphics and text to allow their users to share photos and information about themselves as well as chat and play video games. E.g. Facebook.
Authoring is a program that helps to create web pages or multi media applications, these are known as authoring tools. These tolls enable you to create a final application by linking objects together, such as text or images, video or sound. This is done by defining the objects relationships with eachother and then sequencing them in an appropriate order. Authors are then able to produce attractive and useful graphics applications.
Authoring and programming could be considered as similar things, as this is because they both havea similar outcome, you will always be able to create something from them both. However, authoringand programming are actually completely different. Programming, however is completely different from authoring. Programming is the process of developing and implementing various sets of instructions which are defined as code, for example,Basic, used in GL Basic, and ActionScript2&3, used in Flash, and enable a computer to completecertain tasks.
An example of this would be Microsoft Powerpoint. Which is a powerpoint presentation, which lets you express your ideas. Within this application you can change; text, images, video clips or even animations.
Flash is another tool that can used, in flash you can create movies, games, webpages or animations. Within flash there is a scripting code that needs to be used for buttons of movies or game controls.
A web page is a simple text file that contains not only text, but also a set of HTML tags, that describes how the text should be formatted when the internet displays it on the screen. These tags tell the browser what to change like the colour, font size, font type or even how to arrange the contents. You need a HTML tag if you want to change the colours, change font or have graphics on your page.
Assets are anything used within a application these include; images, background, sound, text, video or graphics. The assets belong to the developer of the application.
Interactive elements in applications mean that you are able to interact with the applications itself, E.g. Buttons, sliders, pop out boxes and many other things are used in most of flash applications. Slideshows, timelines and effects are also interactive elements that are used in some applications.
A web site can be interactive by having;
Feedback forms - You can provide "forms" of varying designs to give people a chance to send you feedback about your site or to provide you with information.
Surveys or polls - These are used to gather information, like the feedback forms, The difference is they are usually limited to