A Film at Mason alum makes his mark in Los Angeles.
As a child actor growing up and working in New York, you might not expect Yves Beneche to seek a film degree in Virginia. But a campus visit to GMU in 2005 grabbed his attention. The suburban campus and access to DC immediately drew him to Film at Mason. Now a writer and director living and working in LA, Yves looks back fondly at his time at Mason.
In the midst of completing his senior thesis, Yves received the news that he was accepted to USC’s film school for his master’s degree. How did Mason prepare him for USC? “Definitely in terms of being hands-on. That hands-on filmmaking experience, doing a lot on your own in terms of getting crew together and actors, preparing me as an independent filmmaker.” In addition, many classmates from Mason are now in LA, so he’s been able to maintain his network.
Leaning into film and television writing at USC, Yves has worked on shows including Queen Sugar and Blackish, as well as his own independent films. Growing up with a lawyer mom and a prison officer step father, Yves developed a strong interest around issues of race and the criminal justice system which heavily informs his work.
And while he won’t be reprising his role on Law and Order anytime soon, Yves is glad for the experiences he had as an actor, “I think it's allowed me to definitely become an actor's director, where I was in that position as an actor, I know how to make actors comfortable on set, comfortable in auditions, comfortable in front of the camera, how to speak to them as actors and as people instead of people that just are supposed to read lines. Um, so I definitely think my experience as a child actor definitely helped me with what I'm doing now.”
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