Synopsis

A solitary man moves through a handmade wilderness of rocks, plants, trees and shifting landscapes. As he explores, the image of a woman repeatedly appears within the world around him, suggesting that love has altered the way he sees everything. The scenery gradually grows more colorful and animated, carrying him from introspection toward wonder. By the conclusion, the man himself seems filled with the same vibrancy that has transformed his surroundings, turning the song's romantic theme into a visual journey of discovery.

Factoids & Trivia

• The visual concept was inspired by the lyric about becoming calm after getting lost within another person's wilderness.

• The video combines rotoscoped watercolor animation with stop-motion. Its landscapes were built from found objects, paper, clay and other handmade materials.

• Rather than simply placing the woman's image over the scenery, her likeness was projected into plants, rocks, trees and other set pieces. This gives her presence a warped, dreamlike quality.

• The opening and closing journeys through the man's chest were made with layered cut-paper frames. Watercolor animation was projected onto the paper while the layers were photographed with gaps between them to create tunnel-like depth.

• The entire project was made in a Brooklyn apartment studio using Dragonframe for stop-motion capture, After Effects for post-production and Final Cut for editing.

• Production took approximately two and a half months, including concept development, set fabrication, hand-drawn animation, stop-motion work and editing.

• Sam Beam gave the animation team broad creative freedom, allowing the visual concept to develop independently rather than requiring a literal interpretation of the lyrics.

• "Joy" appeared as part of the campaign for Iron & Wine's 2013 album "Ghost on Ghost," released through Nonesuch Records and 4AD.