Synopsis

A wolf leaves the wilderness for the city, where animals adopt human identities and try to fit into a more civilized world. The transformation brings new opportunities but also a sense of confinement, frustration, and distance from their natural instincts. As the wolf struggles between social conformity and his original nature, the story eventually leads him back into the wild. The closing image reunites him with his mate, ending on a note of recovery, freedom, and belonging.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Tourniquet" was commissioned for Hem by the band's manager, Aled Roberts. Jordan Bruner was allowed to choose her favorite song from the then-upcoming album "Departure and Farewell."

• Bruner described the central idea as a conflict between animal instincts and the pressure to develop culturally, conform, and survive within society.

• The animals were made as paper cutout puppets painted with inks and gouache. They were assembled and animated against a green screen, with backgrounds drawn largely in Photoshop and the final composites completed in After Effects.

• Animator Greg Lytle worked with Bruner on the cutout animation. The finished film runs approximately four minutes and six seconds.

• The ending was especially important to Hem songwriter Dan Messe, who liked the idea of the wolf finding his way back home and being reunited with his mate.

• The video arrived during a difficult period for Hem. Messe had feared that the band might not make music together again, and he described writing "Tourniquet" as a healing experience.

• The video was presented at several animation and music-video festivals, including the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo.

• Bruner's work on the video received recognition at the 2013 SoDak Animation Festival, Fest Anca, and the World Arts Film Festival.