ORANGE An alternative-rock band fronted by an Orange resident this weekend was filming its first music video with the help of Chapman University film students and a member of the TV show “The Waltons.''

The group, SLIDE, used Orange High School as a backdrop for the video, based on a song the group recorded with an anti-bullying message.

Article Tab : Actress Mary Mcdonough and co-director Matt Brailey discuss a scene during filming of the music video for the song Dime Store Queer at Orange High School Friday.
Actress Mary Mcdonough and co-director Matt Brailey discuss a scene during filming of the music video for the song "Dime Store Queer" at Orange High School Friday.
MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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Band front-man James Preston said the song, “Dime Store Queer,” is based on a true story of a teenager who was the victim of bullying.

“The kid was perceived as gay in high school and he was beaten up,” said Preston, 43. “His father was an executive for a five-and-dime store.”

Preston is a licensed therapist and said the message of the song and premise of the video is about recovering from hurt.

“Yes, you can acknowledge where things might be,” Preston said. “But where do you find your inner strength? How do you move on?”

The video will feature Preston taking a trip through his past and facing images of bullying. Mary McDonough, who played Erin Walton on the Emmy-Award winning series “The Waltons,” has a cameo.

Preston, a fan of the television show that ran from 1972 to 1981, connected with McDonough through her website and the two became friends.

“It doesn't seem very Walton-like, does it?” McDonough said of her appearance in the video. “I like to teach, and this song is educating, so it seemed very worthwhile.”

Preston found directors Kyle Wade and Matt Brailey by posting a solicit for filmmakers at Chapman's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

The cost of the three-day shoot was $3,000, Preston said.

“It's all self-financed,” he said.

Brailey said a challenge was synchronizing the song to the video in a storytelling format.

“It is more of like a club-mix,” he said of the song. “And especially for a narrative-based music video, you (generally) want something a little slower. It will be fun.”

Preston said the video is scheduled to be completed by September and will be released on the group's Web site,www.slidemusicgroup.com, as well as on You Tube.