randal ford brings the zing for innovage

Randal Ford’s second video spot for InnovAge is a lighthearted spoof on the beloved Cheers theme song, Everybody Knows Your Name. The video shows 10 talent and a dog singing the song while highlighting the many services InnovAge offers seniors: transportation, medical and dental facilities, food, entertainment, and the opportunity for social interaction.

“This video has a slightly different feel than the last one. It’s a little more fun, more relatable. It’s got a little more zing,” said Randal.

The piece features 10 talent and a dog and opens with a bus driver and an InnovAge community member riding the bus to the center. Along the way, they pick up a few more riders and then cut to the various activities available at the facility. It was produced in partnership with Tango, a Dallas production company where Randal is on the roster.

“We were basically doing a music video with older talent who aren’t necessarily music performers. The first thing we had to do was create our own 30-second sample track for Everybody Knows Your Name. We played the track at the casting, and the talent had to lip sync—50 to 80-year-olds singing that song. There were some absolutely hilarious moments!” laughed Randal.

They shot the video on location at the InnovAge center in San Bernardino. Randal used a one-camera set-up and the scratch track. Each scene was pegged to a section of track. By the time they were done shooting, they’d heard the song a few hundred times.

Back in the studio, each of the actors’ voices was matched with a professional singer, and then the video and audio were put together in post. “It was hard to find older talent who could sing the way we needed. On the day of the shoot, we wanted the actors to focus on the acting performance rather than on their voice,” Randal explained.

“As a director, this project was a challenge, but it was also a really gratifying experience. I loved learning to shoot the music video, and working with all the talent was a blast.”