New York-based post production boutique Northern Lights and The Artist’s Company, Bicoastal director Jeffrey Karoff deliver an eco-conscious plea au naturale-style in a revealing new PSA, “Helene On Toilet Paper” for Model Environment, a new organization of fashion models working on environmental and social causes.  The spot features model Helene Traasavic relieving her bladder on an open-air toilet in the middle of the forest as she dishes on how to avoid being wasteful with paper products.

Notes Karoff, “The web is full of similar, but very dry, content.  I felt that supercharging these spots with the camp that’s inherent in pairing models with these causes would spread the word to a wider audience.”  Northern Lights editor Brandon Beck was mindful of avoiding overshadowing the unique tone of the project.  He notes, “The trick with cutting this spot was not to exploit the already provocative images.  We wanted Helene to be taken seriously even under extraordinary circumstances.”

“Helene on Toilet Paper” opens with a young woman frantically rushing through the forest, driven by a painfully full bladder.  She spots a lone toilet in a clearing and with a sigh of relief, triumphantly drops her shorts to relive her bladder.  We hear tinkling as a super appears, “Helene Traasavic on Toilet Paper.”  She pulls off a conservative tear from the toilet paper roll nearby and begins, “Remember, toilet paper comes from trees.  So unless you made a complete mess, only wipe with a few squares.  Do you really need to cut down whole forests just to wipe your privates?  And hey, look for products with high post-consumer content.”  She coyly pulls up her shorts and adds, “Maybe you’ll be wiping with an ad I was in.”  As she skips away through the trees, we see the super, “Over 98% of toilet paper sold in America comes from virgin wood.  All to wipe our privates.”  The spot closes with the tag, “Model Environment (practice being ME).”

About Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a boutique that edits, finishes, mixes, designs and creates visual effects for commercials, TV shows, films, and all modern delivery platforms.  Since launching in 1995, we’ve found innovative ways to tell stories and interpret footage.  We’re special in that we offer a mixed talent for broadcast as well as commercial advertising.  Our work includes commercial campaigns for General Mills, BMW, VW and US Bank.  Promos for VH1, Nickelodeon, BET, TruTV, Chiller, and Versus.  Along with branding work for USA’s “Burn Notice”, “White Collar” and others that have made USA the nation’s number one cable network, and Emmy winning audio work for The History Channel. As broadcast and commercial advertising converge, our award winning talent is uniquely suited to deliver the best that this new market demands. Northern Lights shares the resources of sister companies Mr. Wonderful for design and visual effects and Bodega for creative assignments and production.

Credits:

Client: Model Environment
Title: “Helene on Toilet Paper”
Airdate: Currently airing

Production Company: The Artists Company, Bicoastal
Director: Jeffrey Karoff
Producer: Stacy Manzanet
Writer: Christy Beck
DP: Anghel Decca

Editorial: Northern Lights, NYC
Editor: Brandon Beck
Mix: Damon Trotta