Michael Parks Randa directs ‘What’s Done Is Done’ for Delta Spirit.

Premiered at SXSW 2022.

Words from Michael below.

Michael, are you at SXSW now? Did you attend the premiere?

MPR: SXSW has been a whirlwind and such a cathartic experience. I had a film slated for SXSW 2020 (the inclusive musical Best Summer Ever) which was the first thing canceled due to the pandemic, so finally getting here feels so good.

The music video premiere was such a blast. Jamie sadly couldn’t make it but Zack was there and in total superstar mode. Screening alongside the work of friends both old and new reminded me what a close-knit and supportive community we as music video directors have. It’s really wonderful.

Can you tell us a little about how this video came together?

MPR: Advocating for inclusivity in the film industry has always been a priority for me as a director, and it’s exciting to see progress being made with films like ‘CODA’ and ‘Crip Camp’ getting recognized at the Oscars. Yet that progress is much harder to identify in the music industry. It just doesn’t really seem to be a priority. Over the years, I’ve pitched several inclusive video concepts to commissioners and artists but they’ve never been greenlit, so we decided to just go do it ourselves.

Advocating for inclusivity in the film industry has always been a priority for me as a director.

At what stage did you approach Zack and Jamie?

MPR: I’ve known Zack for about 10 years so I wrote this story with him in mind. After workshopping the creative a bit together, I asked him who he thought would be the right fit to co-star with him. He immediately said Jamie. The two of them had hit it off at an Oscar’s after-party a few years back and both really wanted to work together. I loved Jamie’s work in ‘American Horror Story’ and was thrilled when she signed on to do this with us. Their chemistry is undeniable. I’ve been collaborating with Delta Spirit for years and they were fully on board to tell this story and do their part in making the industry more inclusive.

BTS ‘What’s Done Is Done’

Would you mind exploring some of the key creative touchpoints?

MPR: A common misconception of folks with Down Syndrome is that they either can’t sustain romantic relationships or don’t have them at all, so I really wanted the creative to challenge that by depicting an authentic romantic relationship with longevity that’s not just a flash in the pan. I thought an impactful way to do that was to give it a bit of a ‘Notebook’ treatment and play the video out through different stages of life, old-folks make-up and all.

Watching it back now, it feels like art imitating life, as a romantic connection between Zack and Jamie sparked while on set. They’ve become really close. I kept peering over Zack’s shoulder at SXSW and the two of them were texting nonstop about how much they missed one another. It all came full circle.

Watching it back now, it feels like art imitating life, as a romantic connection between Zack and Jamie sparked while on set.

Could you tell us a bit about the partnership you formed with Global Down Syndrome?

MPR: Jamie and Zack are both brand ambassadors of Global, which is an organization that makes a massive difference in the lives of people with Down Syndrome and their families. Because indie-rock music video budgets are quite modest, I knew we needed some additional support and funding in order to do justice to the vision and get it right.

The Global team was super supportive of what we were committed to making, and helped us not only make the project financially viable, but spread awareness around the community that this video was in the works. We shot this in October 2021, so they’ve been hyping it up for about 6 months.

What are you reading at the moment?

MPR: I’m in the development stage of my next feature narrative ‘The Dignity of Resistance’, so I’ve been mainly pouring through screenwriting books and film scripts that have inspired me through the writing process. My parents are both seasoned activists who have run a program in my hometown of Massachusetts for people with disabilities for 50 years, and the film is centered around the true story of students from the school protesting the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation in 2000 in an attempt to force a change of the name of the state agency. It’s an incredible civil rights story that needs to be told.

Michael Parks Randa

Director

Dominique Dauwe

Executive Producer

Terra Mackintosh, Amanda Booth

Producer

Kent Willard

Director of Photography

Rob Bessette

Colourist

Honah Lee Milne

Costume Designer

Ren Allen

MUA

DOOMSDAY

Production Company