Flash Introductory Animation Background

To replay the flash intro, click here.

Background music:

Duck and Cover Film

The duck and cover film was a mass education campaign by the US federal government during the Cold War to prepare students and citizens for a nuclear attack. It erroneously emphasized that when a nuclear attack was imminent, citizens needed to simply duck under desks or near walls to avoid harm.

» Click here to learn more.

Quote #1 - Reverend Robert Moore

» Click here to learn more about Reverend Moore.

Quote #2 - Reverend Robert Moore

» Click here to learn more about Reverend Moore.

NSTX, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

This video clip depicts an experiment being conducted in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) reactor. It contains the visible plasma (upper left), shape (upper right), some time dependent signals (lower left), and the plasma density and temperature profiles (lower right).

NSTX is an experimental fusion reactor where a plasma is heated to millions of degrees Kelvin and confined by a magnetic field. It is located at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.

» To learn more about PPPL, click here.

Quote #3 - Mr. Albert Paulsson

» Click here to learn more about Mr. Albert Paulsson.

Close-Up View of Anthrax

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria (Bacillus anthracis). As a weapon, it is most commonly used in high concentrations of spores. Weaponized anthrax was used in the 2001 bioterrorist attacks, where postal letters containing spores were mailed to American news offices and two Democratic Senators, Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy.

» To learn more about anthrax and other biological weapons, click here.

Warning Sign in Front of the Server Room, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Though the security at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory was relatively loose, certain areas were marked off with high-security signs. This one was on the door to the entrance of the temperature-controlled room containing the facility's servers. Dr. Rajesh Mangi, Senior Research Scientist at PPPL, says the reason security is not high is that "there really is no research here that is confidential." If a terrorist did attack PPPL, it would be "on the mistaken assumption that there is something that's...radioactively explosive or nuclear explosive here."

» Click to learn more about Dr. Maingi or PPPL.

Diagram of a Gun-Type Nuclear Fission Weapon

The simplest and first developed method to combine two subcritical masses is to simply employ a "gun" that fires one mass into the other. Little Boy, the bomb detonated over Hiroshima, had a gun-triggered design. Because of the relative simplicity of this design, experts say that nations or terrorist groups who acquire enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) could potentially create a rudimentary but effective gun-triggered fission bomb.

» Click to learn more about nuclear weapons or gun-type bombs.

About The Flash Intro

By Ray

This project was composed over 20 hours by utilizing several programs. The special effects were primarily created using Adobe After Effects. Using this program, basic 3D imaging could be rendered as well as text effects and video footage editing. The entire project was put together in Macromedia Flash 8. Flash was also used to create the preloader and the satellite scene. For sound editing, Cool Edit Pro was used to adjust and master sound effects, as well as put the sound track together. The background music of Edgen ("Island of Fear") was intended to create a perfect atmosphere for the serious mood of the film. The quotes were recordings of Reverend Robert Moore and they were adjusted for effect and time.

The most arduous task in completing the intro was the main logo introduction at the end. To create the water drop effect, After Effects' water caustics was used, which proved to be quite difficult. In addition, synchronizing the animation to the sound track was a difficult task, as it needed to be timed perfectly to express the tone of the film. A very effective technique in the intro was the use of static, which is a simple addition, yet it portrays the sense of danger as well as follows the "classic TV" theme from the Duck and Cover scene.

All in all, the movie pushed my techincal limits and proved to be a challenging experiment in combining several programs. Though it took a long time to produce, it was definitely worth the effort of making this 70 second clip.