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Nick Gilley

@actforlife

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Southern-Gothic Alchemist
Married to @elysiann
Performer: @marycollinsagency
Artwork: @gesturesgally
“An Artist, more or less”
🤡

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

“I be the witch of the wood.”

Our first costumes this year are from Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2015).

A diabolical little fairy tale about a family banished from their Puritan settlement and living on the edge of the New England wilderness. Eggers is a master of research and weaves real superstitions, folk tales, and even court testimony from the actual witchcraft trials of the 1600s into a riveting 92 minutes.

The first time we watched this was at a cabin in the woods, and that location definitely amplified the terror of the pure darkness you can only get in the middle of nowhere. I still remember gasping at the final turn and almost holding my breath through the final moments of the film.

All the clothing pieces for Thomasin were handmade by Elysia, while the beautiful apple turnovers (including the rough puff pastry) were handmade by Nick.

“Wouldst thou like the taste of butter? A pretty dress? Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”

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03.11.2027

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The call comes from the dark. A closer look at the making of DONA NOBIS PACEM ☦️⚔️.

BTS: @crowstills
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#viking #vikingfilm #indiefilm

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Thrilled to announce that @donanobispacemmovie is an official selection for DIFF SHORTS 2026. This is a special one for us. Please come out October 16-18th and pack the Angelika Theater in Dallas as we premiere Dona Nobis Pacem! More details to follow soon. Congratulations to all of the cast and crew. Your hardwork and dedication is why we’re here. Thank you to @wearediffdallas for having our film join DIFF SHORTS!

#donanobispacem #texasfilm #medievalfilm #medieval #crusaders

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INTERPRETATIONS Pt II: Originals
“No One Envies an Oracle” • Nick

Funny how old bruises can bring fresh perspectives

I asked several friends to either read aloud, or write something based on, a poem I drafted.

Nick wrote this beautiful epic from the point of view of the Oracle, and what happens when one of its subjects decides to linger.

Thank you @actforlife for taking this on so wholeheartedly ♥️

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Dante.

We can’t wait to share more about this character with you in the world of Neon Reel. Amazing mask work and outstanding performance by the one and only @actforlife . Nick truly knocked it out of the park. Stay tuned for more!

#dante #bladerunner #noir #bladerunneredit #cyberpunk

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I’ve been in and out of LA for as long as I can remember. Blessed to have folks I call family and friends out West. Thankful to have worked in such a rich City full of life especially as a creative. I can’t wait to share this moment with my the LA family.

date: August 21
location: 6 Degrees Studio

I’m looking back through all the BTS and all I see is @itsjustmia_ deliriously laughing constantly lol. Those long days and nights paid off tho 😂. Shoutout to the whole crew! Love yal. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with me on this project.

Captured by @wakeup.rafa

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In the early part of this summer I got the opportunity to live out a dream I’ve had since I was a kid.
And while oftentimes it did not feel like living the dream, it was the single most rewarding and meaningful experience I’ve ever had in my life.

Every day, for two weeks straight, my crew and I would wake up at the crack of dawn and film long, sometimes near 20 hour days, in a house with no AC, water, or any modern amenities. We were at the mercy of the heat, the bugs, a constantly changing schedule, and rolling thunderstorms that threw us off course, but always happened for a reason.

But in those two weeks we got to see the return of a long dormant world, an older America with all its people, hardships, culture, and beauty. It came alive before our eyes and immersed us naturally without us realizing it.

That old house, that beautiful, crumbling house on the hill, got to be a home for the first time since the 1940s and we had the pleasure of it being ours. Rooms long since used as storage, became bedrooms. The windows, shut for years, opened up to a beautiful breeze that carried through the whole house and rippled in the curtains almost on cue.
It was like the house had been waiting for us. We could all feel it. Even amongst all the work, stress, and problems, we’d all be reminded as we watched the gorgeous sunsets what we were doing and the importance of it. I will miss that ol’ house

And though the story of this movie’s creation is far from finished, I want to thank all the people who’ve made it possible thus far. Firstly, the cast. On a set full of miracles y’all were brightest. Each one of you were perfect. These characters, which had lived in my head for years, were alive in y’all. I’m forever indebted.

And to my producers, good lord what a grind. Thank you @callumorrow for believing in this project since the very beginning. We really went into a pit of caffeine-fueled panic and despair there for a bit and thank you @l.iz.g and @briannagap.19 for coming in and saving our ass. There is no way this project gets anywhere close to being possible without each one of you. You know what you did and thank you.
------CONT. IN COMMENTS

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Two months ago, I, along with many others, wrapped the principal shoot for When the Azaleas Bloomed. This project was a memorable, life-changing experience.

I can’t thank Jake, our director, and the producers enough for asking me to join in this adventure. Extra shoutout to Alma, our AD, for keeping us together and sane during the chaotic moments. Thank you all for your leadership, guidance, and all you did to make this happen.

It was a pleasure to work again with Brian, our DP and a good friend of mine, who makes the job much more fun. Thanks to Sophia for being there for and with me on this set as AC. We were the dream team, and I'm sure you both would agree that we deserve an Oscar for the hard work we put in on this.

Callan, our Gaffer, was the embodiment of the GOAT. You were such a professional and yet awesome person to be around. It’ll be hard to find someone as reliable and cool as you in the film world.

Our leading stars, Dawson and Brinly, you brought not just fantastic performances but a contagious positivity to the set that made every night a party.

To everyone else, the only reason I’m not mentioning you by name is that this would be a book if I did. But know that each of you made a core memory in my mind, and I’ll always cherish that. It was a pleasure working with you, and I wish you all nothing but the best in your future as creatives and filmmakers. I can’t wait to see the final product of our hard work, so until it hits the silver screen, see you later!

BTS Photos by: @1024megbyte @briannagap.19 @l.iz.g @callan.exe

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Enter the labyrinth.

NEON REEL. Coming soon.

Directed by @mmartinez007
DOP: @theory817
Editor: @afilmbyjake

#neonreel #bladerunner #cowboybebop #noir #indiefilm

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A little while ago I had the pleasure of serving as the gaffer on a film called “When the Azaleas Bloomed." Just having wrapped up our last couple days of reshoots, I've been reflecting on the time I spent in and around a little town called Maypearl shooting this thing with some of the best company I'd had the privilege of working with.

Among bug bites, sun burns, and long hot days, much of this production was at the mercy of a volatile east Texas wet season. Halfway through one of our first days, a massive storm began brewing on the horizon, and before long, a sprinkle began, stuffing our schedule. As we waited out the weather, Brian and I circled the property to shoot some b-roll of the clouds. As the sound team recorded wild sounds of the pitterpatter of rain bouncing off farm tools in the yard, the lot of us began silently circumnavigating the property, finding frames, images and sounds, in an unspoken environment-based creative flow I'll always remember.

Nor soon will I forget splashing around in a creek with our wonderful kid actors, or paying heed to Nick's wise old anecdotes, or hearing Andrew get chased by two coyotes, or arriving on set at 6am to see Jake fishing in a nearby pond.

This movie couldn't have been made anywhere else, with anyone else.

Written & dir. by @jakewilleford_23

Producer: @callumorrow
@briannagap.19
@l.iz.g

1st AD: @planet.alma

DP: @briandashner
1st AC: @iedgarpalacios
2nd AC: @tiny_coffee

Gaffer: 🫶

Grips/sparks:
@andrew.knobbe77
@james.moore277
@d.salazar.23

Sound mixer: @ellyonsound
Boom: @xavi3r.card3nas

PD:
@reallindseynicole
@awocarter
@flowerchild_shadowchild

Casting: @sofia.raquel.official

Choreographer: @dancing_daniel091

Staring:
@dawsonvjackson
@brin_johnsonn
@taylorleahoyt
@actforlife
@arielwsmith
And the rest

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Happy Gotcha Day to my favorite little gremlin, little miss Wilhelmina Murray Harker Worcester Gilley.

5 years ago we went to a stranger’s house and picked up this little fuzzball who promptly barfed on Nick’s arm on the way home. Please enjoy a super cut of all my fave gremlin sounds that Mina Bobina has made over the years.

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