Bleach Bone was adapated from a one-act play by Josh Wagner, written in 2009. The story was inspired by a painting called “Summertime” by artist Eric Ashcraft. Wagner found a “mystical and futuristic quality lurking between the skeleton’s ribs”. He went home and immediately wrote down the opening scene.

After producing the scene for a 10-minute play festival in Missoula, Wagner expanded the story into a one-act play and introduced the character of Claire.

In 2012, the play Bleach Bone won the Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts’ New Rocky Mountain Voices. That same year, Wagner approached Nilles about adapting the story for film. The two had worked together on projects in the past, and Nilles found the setting and characters well suited to his work in the contemporary western genre. They cast their actors and began working on the script adaptation.

In the summer of 2012, shooting began. Cast and crew spent two long full days in the scorching heat to capture the exterior scenes. Interiors came a few months later, though many of those shots would never leave the cutting room floor.

Our post production journey was, as with many no-budget films, a long road. But we’ve finally locked down a 15 minute cut that’s ready for the festival circuit. We can’t wait to share it with you soon!