My Mission Statement To ensure students leave the course with an intermediate knowledge of general programming skills they can transfer to other platforms so that they may continue on further education in the subject on their own or under instruction.

Guidelines for Success: 1)Move fast. Break stuff. 2)Pay attention to detail. 3)Research & Develop. Imitate the industry’s best. 4)You will never know everything there is to know. 5)There is no such thing as a stupid question. 6) If you think it sucks, it probably does.

If at any point, you think anything is too difficult or your thoughts are overwhelmed; I want you to stop, take a break and think of this phrase: “It's not rocket science.” Then try again.

Main Teaching Points 1) Introduction 2) Code Demonstration + Group Activity If at anytime you’re unsure of anything, please raise your hand and ask for clarification or further explanation.

ActionScript 3.0 Flash uses a language called ActionScript in order to allow the author to communicate their specific intent with Flash's virtual machine. You will be only learning ActionScript 3 in this course. ActionScript 3 is a strict data typed object oriented programming language heavily influenced by another language called Java. ActionScript Virtual Machine All Flash is interpreted by something called the ActionScript Virtual Machine which basically interprets swf files' instructions to perform certain specific actions.

Why use ActionScript vs Timeline? ActionScript provides a much more solid foundation for controlling behaviours and actions in Flash that would otherwise be time consuming on the timeline, that it would have difficulty achieving or not be able to achieve at all because of its limitations. Think of using the Timeline as trying to communicate with someone using hand signals while ActionScript is like having a spoken conversation with them.

ActionScript Syntax Syntax are the commands that make up the programming language structure which the Flash virtual machine understands. Sometimes, you may hear this being referred to as the "source code." Just like any human language with grammar and vocabulary, there are specific rules and structures that you have to follow when trying to describe an instruction or command to the computer to perform. The legal syntax that Flash understands comprises of numbers, characters and symbols. Syntax is also case sensitive. This course will cover the equivalent of learning a new language, its conventions and grammar. There is much more that you can continue to learn on your own after this course as it's like learning how to write great speeches once you understand the language basics.

What makes a Flash design successful? A successful Flash design would include good planning, attention to little details, good design execution and/or the ability to combine visual, motion or audio elements to create a memorial presentation experience. In this course, you will learn to use Flash to make visual, audio and data elements interact with each other to tell a story or convey a message. Using Flash will NOT automatically make your design impressive, think of it as a set of paintbrushes that only allows you access to the abilities and technologies that it is capable of. You should NEVER start planning your concept designs in or around Flash but in Photoshop or Illustrator instead.

Inspirational Sources It is possible that you may get the equivalent of writer's block in trying to come up with original designs so for design inspiration, I recommend visiting any of the numerous product, video game or movie trailer promotional websites. Many of them are created in Flash and have very interesting designs. Another source is a website called where you can view other people's art and designs for inspiration. You can also watch films, play video games, read designer blogs or monthly web design magazines you can buy at the local bookstore for cool ideas. There's really no right or wrong in design, everyone has their own opinion, judgment and criticisms. The only right or wrong is really whether or not your code causes an error or not.

Today's Goal To acclimatize the students to be able to manipulate basic movieclip objects on the stage using very basic ActionScript code based on the timeline. If you understand and remember % of this class, you'll be fine because these concepts will be reiterated over and over during the duration of this course. You should learn enough from today alone to build a basic functional website with ActionScript by the end of the day.