«Don’t Panic»: a documentary about the first Covid-19 patients in Russia Blacklight
Task
Create a project aimed at dealing with rumors and turmoil in the community. At a time when mass media was fueling the panic, we felt it necessary to inform people on the real symptoms of the disease firsthand.
Ideas and solutions
We were inspired by the patients who went forth to tell their stories. We collaborated with the online magazine «Takie Dela» and made a documentary film «Don’t Panic. My Experience of the Coronavirus», in which the first patients from Russia told their true stories about their sickness and recovery. The film also featured a full interview with David Berov, the first person in Russia to receive an official diagnosis of Covid-19. The film was released at the very beginning of the quarantine, April 3, 2020, on «Takie Dela» website. Along with the film, we launched an Instagram account «DON’T PANIC!», which collected stories of patients who had been diagnosed or recovered from coronavirus: photos of patients, selfies with doctors, slices of hospital life, children-patients’ drawings and tips for preventing coronavirus. The Outcome: · 1M views of the film (total) · 670K views on YouTube · 592K views of video content on the Instagram page · 16 features in mass media · 25 posts by opinion leaders (loyal and liberal) · Full live screening of the film on the «Rain» TV channel Thanks to targeted advertising and supporting publications, the Instagram page «DON’T PANIC» has acquired over 52K followers in a week, becoming the largest project providing information about the coronavius on Instagram in Russia
