In the 10 years they have known each other, Adam Chambers has never seen Clint McCune angry.
Chambers said McCune, co-owner of SoulFood Books in Redmond, has a friendly disposition that belies the hotheadedness many people assume comes with having red hair.
“I would expect him to have a temper,” Chambers said about McCune.
The more Chambers thought about this, the more interesting the Bothell resident thought it would be to see McCune get mad.
From these thoughts came the script for “Brother” — a short film of about 10 minutes Chambers wrote in early May about a rude, belligerent and imposing man filled with rage.
McCune will play the role of the angry man. He said despite being involved in drama while attending Woodinville High School and studying acting and theater at the University of Evansville in Indiana, he has spent the last 10 years performing music rather than acting. So he was “excited to stretch those (acting) muscles” when Chambers approached him with the idea for “Brother.”
McCune, who lives in Redmond, is aware of the contrast between himself and the character and said a lot of it comes from his life: He loves his neighborhood, his job and the role he plays in the local community.
“I like to stay positive,” he said. “There really isn’t a reason to be angry.”
Although this is mostly true for McCune, he admits that recent events have given him a reason to rage.
In the last month McCune lost his best friend David Barnhart — a woodcarver he described as a “Redmond staple” — to cancer. McCune said his grief is reflected in his latest music and he is actually looking forward to using “Brother” as another vehicle to express himself.
“It’ll be fueled by (my grief),” he said about the acting job ahead of him.
McCune said part of being an artist is timing and although it is important to have the technical skill set, the quality of work is usually higher when you work with raw emotions and things are not forced. He added that artists tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves more as well and that can inspire others to do the same.
In addition to acting again, McCune said another reason he agreed to the project was his close relationship with Chambers. The two have worked together in the past on putting together musical performances and he said he knows Chambers’ work will have a sense of truth and integrity.
One example of this is the fact that Chambers, who has worked on various independent film projects in the past, plans to shoot the movie on Super 8 celluloid film rather than go digital.
“Anything worth doing usually is not easy,” he said about the more time-consuming process that comes with using film.
Chambers, who works under the pen name of “Captain Chambers,” said he will transfer it to a digital format after filming and edit it that way as well. He added that using Super 8 is also more expensive and half of his expenses will go toward just purchasing the film.
Because of this, SoulFood Books, located at 15748 Redmond Way downtown, is holding a fundraiser on Saturday from 8-10 p.m. to help Chambers pay for the film. He said his goal is to raise about $1,000.
Saturday’s event will feature all avenues of creativity, Chambers said, including short films, musicians, dancers and poetry readings.
“I’m not charging anybody,” he said about an entry fee. “It’s a suggested donation.”
There will also be a silent auction with various items including artwork and special original gift packages Chambers has put together from his previous film projects.
Chambers said he hopes to keep the momentum on “Brother” going and begin filming this summer.
