Be.Like Benji – Downtime with Benji

 

 

BETTER SOUND 2023 | Category: Health

 

Entrant

Fonic

 

Abstract

Downtime with Benji is an episode from the animated series ‘Be. Like Benji’ for YouTube star Yoga With Adriene’s (11.5m subs) ’Find What Feels Good’ App, with the aim to engage children with the basic practices of yoga via Adriene’s dog, Benji. ‘Downtime’ is an immersive sound experience as Benji meditates & becomes aware of nature around him.
 

Description

In a world of alerts, pings, notifications & screens, are we able to slow down for a moment and just ‘Be’? Yoga instructor & star behind the successful YouTube channel ‘Yoga with Adriene’ (11.5 million subs), Adriene Mishler, thinks so, but we may need a little practice. In ‘Downtime with Benji’ Benji the dog, stops and meditates, becoming aware of the small things and the nature around him.

‘Downtime with Benji’ is an episode in the ‘Be. Like Benji’ series, for Mishler Find What Feels Good’ App. Dubbed ‘Netflix For Yoga’, the App provides yoga classes and lifestyle content across all devices. The ‘Be. Like Benji’ series is specifically aimed to engage a younger audience and introduce them to the fundamental practices of yoga and how it can support them in their daily lives – all through a dog called Benji – Adriene’s loyal Blue Heeler who appears in many of her YouTube yoga classes!

The Find What Feels Good team and audio post production studio, Fonic, had an established relationship before collaborating on ‘Downtime with Benji’, with Fonic providing full post production audio on the previous episodes in the ‘Be. Like Benji’ series. Starting work on ‘Downtime with Benji’, Fonic had the signature sounds for Benji and the direction of the audio established, with Producer and Director, Jeff Mills wanting the world to maintain a natural quality rather than cartoony soundscape.

The exciting proposition for Fonic with the ‘Downtime with Benji’ film was that the sound would lead the audio world rather than music. In previous episodes the music lead the soundscape as a way of providing emotions for Benji. Composer, David Hamburger’s musical style complemented the tone of the world with his blues-y, minimalist and organic approach.

‘Downtime With Benji’, is a simple film about being present in the moment. With no dialogue or story either, it truly is an immersive sound experience as it imitates a moment of solitude in nature. The result is an animation that is mesmerizing to watch with audio providing a calming experience as viewers understand the mediative journey Benji is on. The film provides a gentle stimulation by inviting the viewers mind to wander as they watch and listen.

 

Project video