Drought, on its surface, is not a particularly fun topic. And it’s difficult to make water conservation entertaining either. Those can both be classified as “stone-cold bummers.” The community of West Hollywood acknowledges these unpleasant truths, but it bravely refuses to submit to them. Therefore, while the state of California remains mired in a brutal, four-year drought, plucky WeHo is asking its residents to “shrink your water footprint,” but is doing so in the most Hollywood manner possible: a Game Of Thrones-themed public service announcement. Perhaps the popularity of the HBO fantasy series will help the people of West Hollywood to remember to only wash their cars monthly rather than weekly and to keep their showers under five minutes each morning. At its conclusion, the PSA steers viewers toward a web page with these and other water-conserving tips.
The ad, on its own, is a pretty impressive piece of work. It employs the actual Game Of Thrones theme by Ramin Djawadi, as well as a few precious seconds of genuine Peter Dinklage footage from the series. Plus, as Uproxx’s Ryan Harkness points out, “all the actors and actresses are garbed in authentic-looking Thrones clothing,” which must have cost some money. In addition, there is a very authentic Thrones-looking map of California, including a more detailed view of West Hollywood. And if that’s not enough entertainment value, there are some CGI shots that depict the streets of WeHo being consumed in fearsome, apocalyptic flames. Surely, this will keep people from watering their lawns unnecessarily. The ad’s final tagline is true to the dark spirit of George R.R. Martin’s creation, meanwhile, but it doesn’t seem to offer a great deal of hope to eco-conscious Californians: “Drought is here. Our water may soon be gone. Conserve.”
