StellaArtois.com has launched a cool new site to promote their beer. They went way beyond creating a great looking site by using interactive video to tell a story that the user can participate in.

The user watches video and then has to interact to achieve some result before going on. In most cases I had to try more than a few times to get it right. Which is fun and makes it a game like experience. The setting sun was particularly challenging until I thought diagonally, hint-hint.

The following is an interview with the design/development team that put the site together.

1-What applications did you use to create the site and which were your
favorites? Conversely, which applications were the most challenging to use?

Since the site consists of a lot of filmed material much of this work has been done on film, in 3D and in Adobe AfterEffects.Then it is put together and made interactive in Flash with design made in Illustrator and Photoshop. The filmed material was compressed in Sorensen Squeeze.

 

I guess that all members of the team working with the site had their own challenges but the most challenging application for me personally is also my favourite Flash. I guess thats no surprise since I’m the Flash developer.

2-What was the biggest technical hurdle to overcome?

The balance between filesize and videoquality is always an issue.

But for the “le Courage” site I would say the flash players performance on slower computers. In some cases we would have multiple layers of video, some with blending effects and at the same time 20 moving objects controlled by the users input. We had to work a lot on the optimization to make it flow nicely.

The planning of the filming and/interactive parts in le Courage was a great challenge as well as the post production of the filmed material. To get the right mix of reality and fantasy and to make the filmed material blend in with the different Flash objects without sacrificing the “cinematic values”.

3-If you were starting over from scratch on this project is there
anything you would do differently?

No, this is the perfect project. But of course if we had built it now we probably would have looked at the possibility to build it in AS3 for Flash player 9. That would have solved a lot of issues with performance making it possible to add some of the effects we would have liked to add. Such as using larger video without losing quality and speed and more moving objects.

4-What was your beverage of choice for get-togethers after work at the
local pub?

Stella-Artois in our office since the local pub doesn’t serve it.

5-Is there anything in the site that you added that you are particularly
proud of that you would like people to know about?

I would say the whole experience, how the many parts of the site all works together to create a great atmosphere. And how it’s all focused on the perfect glass of Stella Artois.

6-Was the brewmasters young apprentice hurt when falling of the end of the
world?

No, that was all visual effects, the hen is also OK.

You can also read an interview with the creators at the StellaArtoisBlog.com: part 1, part 2.

TheLookAndSoundOfPerfect.com : I can’t tell, is this an add for HD-DVD or Flash video?

If you’re looking for data on baby names, or just looking to waste some time with a cool website, then try out BabyNameWizard.com.

Ms. Dewey may not be the best search engine available but it’s by far the sexiest. Hell, I searched things there for about 20 minutes but I never bothered to click on any of the results. Go check it out yourself and you’ll see why.

As a technical note: they did a fantastic job of using alpha layers in their Flash video.

Here’s a really cool site by Nike.com - (warning: this page will resize your browser)

This is the kind of site that give Flash both a good and bad reputation. It’s amazingly interactive but the usability is, well, challenging to say the least. To be fair, I would put this in the “User Experience” category of Flash sites. Much like a movie website. The object here isn’t for you to buy something but to play around and enjoy the space. Now the onus is on them to make a compelling experience that will motivate someone to discover the usability so that they can experience the site.

What I really question about sites like this is the Return On Investment. No doubt this site cost a chunk of change to design and developer. So does Nike really expect that this site will increase sales enough to pay for itself? From my perspective I’m just glad that work like this is being done. It gives Flash developers some good work and at the same time I’m sure it influences other companies to follow suit.

I’d be interested in what people think of this site and if it’s good or bad for the Flash platform. Please post a comment here if you have an opinion on the subject.

I must admit, I’m pretty addicted to the TravelerIQ Facebook widget. I can’t get past level 10. I think I need to spend more time on Google Earth.

Volvo has a nice example of browsing through a large collection of photos. They placed them on a wall which gives the user a better since of space.

Paper Critters is an amazing accomplishment. I’m especially impressed with the 3D view of your creation.

What’s missing is the ability to move and transform a shape after placement. And it could also use a text tool.

Or you could call it community based chaos. But it’s fun either way. For at least a little while.

Unlimited Orange has one of the coolest marketing sites I’ve ever seen. Good fun stuff.

If anyone gets to the bottom of the page please comment here and let me know what you see.