Advanced Flash Tactics or AFTs are techniques that come from deep within the Flash Art Of War, the oldest Flash military treatise in the world. In this AFT I will go over - The Making Of FlashBum.com Part 3. This is the final part of the my thesis paper. I go into more detail about the 3d objects in the Flash Bum site as well as try to label the kind of art I make. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

3d Found Objects

Flash bum is not only a study in pushing flash technically, but it is also an exploration of user interactivity, data organization/presentation and interface design. The glue that holds the site together is in the "Found Objects" that scatter the website's page. Each object has some relevance to the documentary and also following the tradition of using "found" objects as pieces of art.

Cardboard Front

Cardboard Back

The most prominent object is the cardboard sign. These objects offer a unique grouping of data since they are 2 sided. Each side a blank canvases for information. I have tried to have each cardboard sign follow a general template. The first version is a side with a hand drawn graphic or saying. This directly mirrors the signs I use in the movie. The second type has a photo or graphic taped onto it. These static graphics can illustrate a screen from the movie. The final type is a text box with a photo. These are best used for large blocks of text and can have an accompanying photo to illustrate the text. Each cardboard is randomly build from 7 different "themes" and will always look different every time you come to the site.

(Left) Photo Front (Middle) Photo's Video (Right) Photo Back

The second most important object in the 3d word are the photos. These are digital snapshots from the documentary. These objects help tell the story of "The Flash Bum," and move along the narrative. Each Photo contains a still image that represents the first frame (or Icon) of the video it will play. There is a label below the image that acts as the title of the clip. When a viewer clicks on the photo, it comes to life and plays out the clip. When the clip is finished, the still image icon fades in over the video and it returns to its original state. Finally the user can flip the photo over and read a description on the back.

Post Card Front and Back

Post Cards act as a form of communication with the user to their friends. These are used so send a person a direct link back to the section the viewer was last in. The big buzz word in the Web Design/Advertising industry is "Viral Advertising." This is a virtual version of spreading something by word of mouth. The basic idea is that you create something that people share with their friends and eventually it spreads around the net with out the cost of expensive ad campaigns or traditional promotion. The post card directly allows people to send branded e-mails to other people with a link directly back to flashbum.com. The hope is that people who find this site entertaining will help promote it for me.

cPod Front and Back

The cPod is my take on the wildly popular iPod. This is such a cultural icon now and represents sleekness, perfect design, and finical status. In the Documentary my character talks about how he desperately wants to buy one but can't afford it. I decided for the website I would create a cardboard spoof on the whole iPod idea. Also I borrowed the simple navigation of the iPod and I simulate inside of the cPod to help users navigate the website and also move between locations in the 3d world.

cPod Navigation Examples (left) Locations (right) Interactive Objects

(left) Napkin (right) piece of map Flair examples.

There are other objects in the 3d world that I call Flair. They are images that help add character to the world and also represent items from the videos/documentary. Some of these objects are napkins with website layouts, rip off pieces of map that show the user where they are, and images of street dirt and sidewalk cracks. These pieces of flair can container any image and I plan on using these to really help flesh out the look and feel of the website.

iSaArt

The type of art I create satires life, as I see it, here in New York and in other places I have traveled to. Lately, more of the art I create falls into a new genre of digital satirical art that is emerging on the web. I call this art "iSaArt", Internet Satire Art. I feel that Flash Bum is a perfect example of this type of art. I take an absurd idea, such as a homeless web designer and bring it to life as a creative project. With the computer, I can create an entire world for this character and a means of distributing it to the masses.

Wefail.com is a great example of current iSaArt. Wefail.com is a spin off from sofake.com. They have several mini sites that make fun of the flash industry and the NET in general. The wefail turkey site ( http://www.wefail.com/turkey/ ) looks like a simple PowerPoint presentation but as you navigate and read text passages it becomes apparently clear that the site is really taking a stab at the flash/web industry.

http://www.wefail.com/turkey/ Screen

This type of humor, mostly seen in comedian's stand up routines and comedy skit shows lends itself very well to the web. How else would you be able to get your views, opinions, and imagery out to millions of potential views without every having to pay for TV airtime?

Flash bum is my first real attempt at creating iSaArt. From the tone of the videos, the look and feel of the trash objects, and the basic premise of being a homeless web designer, flashbum.com is 100% iSaArt. By taking my fears of being a failed web designer, and picking something in our society that represents the lowest tier of our social order I am trying to shed light on how freelancers are treated in this web design industry.

Video Documentation of FlashBum.com

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed a deeper insight into how FlashBum.com was created and my inspiration behind it. Getting a master's degree is a huge undertaking both in time and money. I don't think it is necessary to have one in our field but the investment in yourself is priceless. One of the highlights of going to SVA was meeting Rich Shupe and Matthew Richmond of Chopping Block. They were a huge inspiration for me and it was amazing to be able to bounce my ideas off of them. I enjoyed my time at SVA but only because I made the most of it. The FlashBum project has become something much later then I thought it would and to this day, it is the best example of my full creativity as an interactive artist.

The End

Read more from Jesse Freeman.