"The HTTP 404, 404 not found, 404, 404 error, page not found or file not found error message is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) standard response code, in computer network communications, to indicate that the browser was able to communicate with a given server, but the server could not find what was requested. The error may also be used when a server does not wish to disclose whether it has the requested information. The website hosting server will typically generate a "404 Not Found" web page when a user attempts to follow a broken or dead link; hence the 404 error is one of the most recognizable errors encountered on the World Wide Web." (Source)
I also made a list of things I needed to do aside from filming and editing to keep organised.
This is the website I used for the text-to-speech sequence at the end, as it has the most favourable non-paid voice I could find available. Allowing me to download a free MP3 of the audio-converted text, I think it worked fairly well in the piece - just robotic and melancholic enough.
This article was an interesting piece of research that helped inspire the piece. Brewster explains the impact of "ghost traffic" on the internet, comparing it to "screaming into a void" much like my project conveys, as well as how this increasing connection is slowing down broadband and causing more vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit. Brewster goes on to mention how "ghost devices would be continually adding useless data onto the network" and how "these undead devices could be brought back to life," continuing on to reference baby monitor hacking. I learned that this becomes a problem when a product stops being supported, which greatly reminded me of Flash being discontinued, and while this doesn't mean my project's idea is actually grounded in reality, it does connect some of the dots quite nicely and gives valuable context to the plot.
For all the sections in which we see binary, I simply pasted the entity's parting note into this text-to-binary converter.
Photoshop assets:
(Avatar protagonist sprite, chatbox bar, dialogue chatbox, home page design, end credits scene design)
I used a lower resolution canvas specifically to achieve a pixelated RPG look to certain elements, choosing to have a higher quality end credits scene to show the characters flourishing. I then used the Find Edges effect in Prem to achieve a glitched look when the sprite appears on screen. As usual, I drew everything on my Wacom tablet, however this time I learned not to export separate .PNGs as the Adobe suite allows Photoshop layers to work independently in After Effects and Premiere Pro, streamlining workflow significantly and allowing real-time changes to be made to the files whilst editing. To design the home page of this fictional online game, I took reference and inspiration from the UI of games such as Bin Weevils and Club Penguin. I used bright colours that appeal to children, who were the target audience as players of these games, and drop shadows on the buttons/general interface to achieve an engaging, bubbly clip-art look. After trying to animate the end credits in Prem I realised it would be easier to precompose it all in After Effects instead, which will inform me on workflow choices going forward.
The next step was to cut together the articles for the opening scene. Here is a list of all the articles I used at the beginning of the film in screen capture to give the viewers context about the discontinuation of Flash. I used black bars and keyframed a Ken Burns-esque zoom on all the articles as it gave the film a more immersive, if not subtly comedic, opening.
https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html
https://www.howtogeek.com/700229/adobe-flash-is-dead%C2%A0heres-what-that-means/
https://www.itpro.co.uk/software/358215/adobe-flash-player-officially-discontinued-after-25-years
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/announcements/update-adobe-flash-support
https://www.wired.com/story/rip-flash-games/
https://answerstoall.com/object/is-bin-weevils-still-active-2021/
https://moviestarplanet.fandom.com/f/p/3074886029279363596
https://newcp.net/en/blog/flash-ending-statement/
Google Chrome has a Guest browsing mode option I was unaware of prior to screen recording when I tried to sign out, which made the process easier. It was a tedious edit, however, to crop everything and fake comments.
The sound design was minimal and could have been further developed, but ended up being effective for the piece. For example, I would have added more mouse clicking and typing sounds, but the sounds I did use (whoosh/sweeping effects through slowing down audio, voice-to-text monologue, deep recurring bass) helped the piece pop more than it would silent.
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