Wunderman Thompson South Asia Locks Out Covid-19 with a Symphony of Shutting Doors

The Hon’ble Prime Minister announced a 21-day India-wide lockdown on 24th March to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Since then, the pleas of the PM and Chief Ministers across states, urging people to stay indoors, have been ignored by many. There appears to be a lack of awareness of the consequences of venturing out and this extends even to the more evolved. Incidents of violation of govt. guidelines continue to make the headlines and a large number of people have already been arrested.

Individuals are not adhering to the one overarching guideline of staying indoors to stay safe, blissfully unaware of the consequences of the virus. With the deadly virus knocking on doors, it was imperative to drive awareness of the simple fact that when you stay home you stay safe, India had to be reminded that you are safe indoors. Tata Pravesh, a brand of steel doors from Tata Steel, decided to remind them.

A film for digital media was the perfect way to transmit the message. The challenge was how to get this done at a time when the entire world was behind closed doors, production houses included. Crowdsourcing was the only solution. The film was made with Instagram and twitter posts by hundreds of Indians with the Tata Pravesh hashtag #DoorsOfIndia. These shots were combined with footage of closed doors sourced from the Wunderman Thompson team across six Indian cities.

The film brings lockdown alive through hundreds of closed and locked down #DoorsOfIndia. It begins with shots of doors closing followed by a montage of closed doors from various geographies covering the entire expanse of this vast nation. The fast-paced montage is choreographed to a ‘homemade’ soundscape that is evidence of how work from home can give birth to truly ingenious solutions.

An entire Indian classical music rhythm pattern was created not by using traditional Indian percussion but by using live sounds of doors being shut and sounds of latches, hinges, stoppers & locks, along with ambient street noises and dialogues. These sounds were sourced from across the country using #DoorsOfIndia.

The film demonstrates how India is united in its fight against the coronavirus, shutting all its doors to signify that when an entire country shuts its doors, it has the power to shut out corona.

Commenting on the film, P. Anand, chief - services & solutions business, Tata Steel Ltd. said: “Tata Pravesh has always endeavoured to open minds through evocative socially connected films. This relevantly timed film reminds people to stay behind closed doors, that being the best way to combat Corona.”

Commenting on the creative concept, Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson said: “The idea was to bring alive the fact that India has shut its doors on Corona. This simple idea was executed powerfully by featuring doors from various provinces which gives the film a pan India scale while indicating that the #DoorsOfIndia will remain closed till we #ShutOutCorona.”

Commenting on the creative concept, Arjun Mukherjee, ECD & VP, Wunderman Thompson, Kolkata said: “It was important to tell people that all it takes to flatten the curve is to shut the door. The film uses doors of various shapes, sizes, age and lineage which reflect the diversity of this nation, all united in shutting out Corona.”

Vijay Jacob Parakkal, senior VP & managing partner, Wunderman Thompson said: “The vast numbers who have closed their doors on Corona is testimony to the exceptional resolve and fortitude that our country has always demonstrated in times of stress. We are delighted to partner Tata Pravesh on this film which shows what India can do if it puts its heart into it.”