Story

All should check out this site. A bit mind blowing.

Here is an example of a portfolio for a senior in high school. What will be in your portfolio?

I push very hard on having my students tell a story, whether that story is in a website, a blog entry, or in a conversation.

The Web 3 exam requires students to use Flash to tell a 50 second story. Here are some examples that you might adapt.

Nike Football: Notice that this story is about the "essence" of both football (soccer) and the shoes. It is less about the narrative than about the emotions athletes feel and how Nike is a part of that. The movie is about 50 seconds long.
Sharp Aquous: Notice how there is again no real narrative. The message is clearly that the product has simple, clean lines. The movie is again about 50 seconds long.

How does sound enhance both of these movies? I think the sound on the Nike site is essential to the story (we are alone with our own sounds, etc...).

I think you realize from the above examples how essential it is to really think out your story BEFORE you start to create anything on the computer. The story and feeling that you want your audience to get will drive the tools that you use.

Do you have a story to tell?