The Bride Wore Blood began as a very small project to tide us over as we were waiting for a development deal contract to come back from MTV Films. The idea was simple -- the script would be a few pages long; we would write it for actors we knew; it would only take a few days to shoot. The film would be a contemporary Western, inspired by those of Sergio Leone, John Ford, Clint Eastwood, and John Wayne. We finished the first draft of The Bride Wore Blood in a matter of days. It was 10 pages. Little did we know how different the final film would be. Each revision brought greater depth to the story and the characters, and consequently, added 20 more pages. Our hopes were to have the film play at festivals and showcase it as a ‘directing demo reel’ as we engaged the film industry with our contract at MTV Films.
We had worked with all of the actors on our previous features, so we knew the production would be a comfortable working environment for everyone. However, we also knew principle photography would be a massive undertaking, as many of the action sequences required intricate camera moves alongside solid performances from the actors. It seemed that with each day of shooting, we encountered a short film in itself. Over the sixteen days of photography, we were tested with making our day, maintaining energy, and keeping our sanity. Several of our days lasted between 19 to 21 hours, yet it was well worth the effort. With each scene, we had achieved exactly what we wanted. Our actors were wonderful to work with; no one would have guessed that such talent was living in Iowa.
Back in March 2005, we were approached by a talented musician -- Scott Morschhauser. He handed us his CD which contained surf rock, lounge music, and tunes reminiscent of Morricone’s Spaghetti Western scores. Immediately, we knew this man would be scoring our next project. During pre-production, we discussed the tone of The Bride Wore Blood with Scott, and he effortlessly picked up on it. Over the few months of production, Scott honed a memorable theme, which he had been working on for years. Utlizing his band, The Metrolites, as well a as other local area talent, Scott crafted a soundtrack that blends the themes, ideas, and images into the score for The Bride Wore Blood.