Bingo

"Bingo" is a pioneering animation created by Chris Landreth using Maya, a 3D animation and special effects software. The animation is an adaptation of the live theater performance, "Disregard This Play." Chris Landreth is an animator who has worked not only on "Bingo," but on several other CGI animated films including the work he is best known for, "Ryan." "Bingo" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1996. Landreth is notable for his use of psychorealism, what Karen Singh has described as, "the glorious complexity of the human psyche depicted through the visual medium of art and animation."

The short story follows a man who is harassed by several circus characters into believing that he is, in fact, the character, "Bingo," that they say he is. This character starts the film by sitting in a chair and denying all knowledge of "Bingo," but after being spoken to by a clown smoking a cigarette, he seems slightly shaken. A scarily sweet young girl has a conversation with him as well, while her balloons mysteriously pop every few seconds. A final conversation with a man covered with money and waving seven arms pushes the "Bingo" character over the edge to the point that he declares that he is indeed "Bingo." Between each meeting another circus character enters and begins a musical performance. The characters seem to shift shapes, becoming more and more terrifying, changing sizes, and nearly jumping off the screen.

I thought that this was a great way to show off the Maya program. Ignoring the growing fear one experiences watching this film, it is a beautiful showcase of the animation skills of Landreth as well as the program's capabilities. It is interesting how far computers really can go to make imagery in these types of films so realistic and captivating.