One such innovator is Web pioneer Michela Ledwidge, managing director of thequality.com and producer of the acclaimed animated short film, Horses for Courses. Described as a web3D animation, Horses for Courses is only 5 minutes long and the files are so small they can be stored on a floppy disk. Horses for Courses is an effective combination of playfulness, original storytelling, wry humour, and practical demonstration of cutting edge interactive 3D.

Originally from Australia, the multi-talented Ledwidge is unassuming about her early days in the interactive media industry. She says, "I was doing computer sciences as part of an arts degree back in the early '90s, and more out of the fact that I was one of the worst in the class rather than anything. I made an extra special effort to lineup a thesis topic at the end of my course as I was concerned about getting into my final year."

Ledwidge's first assignment was to build a simple web page editor and browser. Almost a decade later, she has developed numerous projects working with other musicians and visual artists like Ross Bingham and Zen, community building initiatives, and wide range of commercial projects including the BBC, boo.com, Rollingstone Magazine, Reuters and Brilliant Digital Entertainment, among others.

Ledwidge's work with Brilliant Digital Entertainment's B3D technology inspired her to further explore the creation of digital toys -- an area in which she's had a longtime interest. Since winning the Siggraph award, Ledwidge has captured the imagination of other interactive media developers with Horses for Courses, as evidenced during a recent interview at the 2001 alt.sho festival.

Ledwidge describes Horses for Courses as "a fractured fairytale". She's created a magical clickable world hosted by the mischievous Pan in a unique, groundbreaking interactive piece. Presented in 3 languages, with 2 different endings, Horses for Courses engages the viewer, including you in the frame. Horses for Courses offers you several choices. You can choose not to participate and Pan continues about his business. But if you jump into the story, Pan plays with you and invites you to be part of things.

Having established a successful basis for further exploration into the digital realm, Ledwidge's eyes sparkle as she talks about thequality.com's future. "The next step is to build the team. That's really the next hurdle. Community focus projects, team building exercises, and profile building exercises that will enable us to connect with people who have similar thoughts."

written by Marva Jackson Lord

photos courtesy of thequality.com