Not just cartooning around

While most students consider their UCLA peers to be pretty tough competition, Joaquin Baldwin might argue that they really have no idea.

Baldwin, a second-year graduate student in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, competed with Disney, Pixar, the Bill Plympton Studio and Aardman Animations Ltd. (the studio that created “Wallace and Gromit”) on Friday at the annual Annie Awards held at Royce Hall. Baldwin was nominated alongside these various studios for the best animated short-subject category of the Annie Awards, which are presented by the International Animated Film Society of Hollywood.

Though Baldwin did not take home the Annie, Celia Mercer, one of Baldwin’s animation professors, said simply being nominated is a huge honor.

“It is unusual for an individual to be nominated for an Annie Award, let alone a student and let alone a second-year,” she said.

Baldwin said he was shocked upon hearing the news of his nomination.

“One of the best things is being able to say that I am competing with this group,” he said.

Baldwin was nominated for his film “Sebastian’s Voodoo,” a film about a voodoo doll that saves his friends from being pinned to death. Mercer explains it is more likely that a UCLA graduate student would be nominated for their thesis film rather than their second-year film.

When discussing the conception process for “Sebastian’s Voodoo,” it is clear Baldwin’s unique brainstorming and perspective helped distinguish him as both an animator and a filmmaker in general.

“My ideas usually come to me when I am half-asleep as random images in my brain,” Baldwin said.

When first beginning the project, he knew that he wanted sacrifice to be at the center of the film because of its narrative possibilities.

“Sacrifice is a great storytelling tool,” he said.

Baldwin also said it is easiest for him to work in reverse in the initial phases of creating a story.

“I tend to work backward and try to find a powerful ending, and I can’t think of anything more powerful than sacrifice,” he said.

Baldwin said that he has no personal connection to sacrifice or the film’s story.

“Although the message of the film is clear, it is not personal,” he said. “I am not the hero. I just like to tell the story of the hero.”

Baldwin said that, in general, his stories are of a darker nature and that this is probably what spurred the use of voodoo dolls. When he first started the project, he knew nothing about voodoo and did a lot of research before beginning the filmmaking process.

“I read, used the Internet, looked at other films and wrote to voodoo priests,” he said.

Baldwin explains the film is full of voodoo symbolism. While this may not be apparent to the average viewer’s eye, it is accurate, and Baldwin said that it adds a layer that most people do not notice.

Baldwin also said that speaking with the various voodoo priests was an interesting experience. The first question he always asked was whether such a film would insult the priests.

“Voodoo dolls are supposed to be healing,” he said. “Our idea of voodoo as something evil is a Hollywood interpretation, and I did not want to be insulting of the voodoo tradition.”

Mercer described Baldwin’s narrative as very compelling.

“The most important aspect of the film is the idea,” she said. “A good idea and good content is essential. Production value comes next.”

Once settled on an idea, the filmmaker must decide whether to use two-dimensional or three-dimensional animation. Baldwin said this decision is a stylistic choice.

“You try to decide which is going to benefit the story. I chose to use 3-D because I wanted “˜Sebastian’s Voodoo’ to feel real. I wanted people to take it seriously.”

Baldwin said that three-dimensional animation allows for a much more realistic look and makes it easier to portray textures, such as rough, scratchy and sandy.

Mercer also said the decision between three-dimensional and two-dimensional is really up to the student.

“When the student pitches their idea, we suggest which shape we think would be most effective, but really the decision depends on the individual’s vision,” she said.

However, the most important piece of the puzzle, the centerpiece of the film, is the narrative. All other aspects are simply tools used to support that main idea.

“The narrative and the characters must be engaging,” she said. “The technical, creative and artistic elements of the film just make it even stronger.”

In regard to “Sebastian’s Voodoo,” Mercer calls Baldwin’s work “well-crafted and compelling,” and holds out high hopes for his future beyond the halls of UCLA and after his life as a graduate student.

“We have even more work to come from Joaquin.”