BIFF Interns: Where Are They Now
Four Young Men Pursuing Their Dreams
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER
Ron and Rebecca Tucker provide immeasurable opportunities to the community through the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF). Several years ago, they hired four local young men as interns: Jean-Marc Lavigne, Walker Floyd, Louis Brown, and Nicholas Dardes. They have all gone on to pursue careers in the film industry and have certainly benefited from the work they did with Ron and Rebecca at BIFF. We caught up with each of their parents for this unique, where-are-they-now, story.
Jean-Marc Lavigne began his relationship with BIFF when his film and television class was asked to volunteer. This positive experience led him to an internship during his senior year of high school. During that time, he was able to gain experience working on a set while filming the Festival’s television commercial. “He enjoyed working with Ron and Rebecca, and they treated him as an equal member of the team. They made him feel that his work and input were valued,” says mom, Sally Sue Lavigne. Having the opportunity to work on a commercial set solidified his desire to pursue a career in film and television.
Jean-Marc’s resume of experience and his relationship with the Beaufort Film Society led to his position as gaffer (head of the electrical department) on I, which was filmed here in Beaufort.
Jean-Marc is a graduate of SCAD and is now a union gaffer, currently living and working in Savannah, GA. In 2021, he worked on four feature films, several documentaries, commercials, and independent films. In addition to his on-set work, Jean-Marc is a partner in JML Productions, providing grip, electric, and production supplies to the Savannah film industry. Jean-Marc is passionate about being able to help younger filmmakers get started in the profession. He is grateful that working in hiring roles, he has provided on-set opportunities to others entering the industry. Jean-Marc’s goal is to foster and grow the local filmmaking community.
Walker Floyd always had an interest in filmmaking. He attended filmmaking summer camps and started a film club while attending Beaufort Academy. But he wanted to learn more about other aspects of the film industry. “I was encouraged to intern for BIFF by my parents. Ron and Rebecca were really great teachers. They took me under their wing and taught me a lot about film festivals and how they are put on. I got a lot of experience with different aspects of behind the scenes. This was a great first professional experience with the film industry. Plus, I could skip school one day, so I can’t complain about that.”
“As an aspiring filmmaker, I learned from helping out with BIFF how important it is to make your filmscript truly stand out from all of the others. Film festivals are often the gateway for filmmakers to break into the industry. There were tons of great films submitted that I helped catalog, and they were all competing for just a few spots. How tough it is to break into the industry wasn’t really talked about much at Emerson College, where I majored in Film, and so having this knowledge has helped prepare me for the industry.”
Currently, Walker is living in Los Angeles, slowly gaining a foothold in the industry. Most recently, he has worked for Jerry Bruckheimer and the launch of Harry Styles’ new brand Pleasing. In addition, he also serves as a freelance assistant to a couple of producers. “In the future, I hope that you’ll see my name in the credits as either the writer or director of a feature film!”
During Louis Brown’s sophomore year of college, he decided to study film. His parents thought BIFF would be a great way for him to get a firsthand experience with the film industry. “Since it is right in our backyard, we encouraged him to get in touch with Ron and Rebecca. Louis had grown up with Rebecca’s daughter and knew that she might be receptive to him coming to work with them,” says mom, Shannon Brown. Louis enjoyed the films he was able to view during the festivals, and the post-viewing discussions with the filmmakers and guest speakers. There are so many different types of films, and he was able to see a variety of genres.
The experience with BIFF was beneficial when Louis had to start writing, directing, and producing films in graduate school (Full Sail University). For example, the students’ first film assignment was to write a short film. Louis saw many short films at festivals, and BIFF eventually sponsored shorts at the local movie theater on Wednesdays. There is no other way to see various short films except at film festivals. During Louis’ second month at Full Sail, the professor selected his short film as the short the class would develop into “practice” production.
Louis completed his Master of Fine Arts in Film Production in August 2019. Since that time, he has worked for the National Geographic Channel’s series The Right Stuff, Soledad O’Brien’s Disrupt and Dismantle, Travel Channel’s Dead Files, A&E’s Digital Addiction, and Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings (current gig). He has worked as an assistant director on the upcoming film No Vacancies and as a key production assistant for the upcoming film Harvest Moon. He was a co-producer on the short film Murdercyle (his thesis project in graduate school), which won a Student Regional Emmy for Best Sound Design at the 2020 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Suncoast Chapter. This film has now been nominated for a national Emmy and has been picked up by Roku TV.
When Nicholas Dardes was little, he spent most of his time outdoors, where he loved imaginative play, exploring, and finding treasure outside. Nicholas fell in love with the movies when he saw the first Spiderman in 2004 at age 7. He would pretend to be Chief Brody from Jaws and Indiana Jones. At age 14, he told his mom he wanted to work in film and asked if she thought he could do it. “I told him he could do anything if he wanted it,” reflects Elizabeth Dardes. He spent a summer at New York Film Academy in Florida with his childhood friend, Walker Floyd. Nicholas did some acting but found it more exciting to be behind the camera.
At Beaufort High, he had the opportunity to share his creativity in the Media Studies course, creating segments and critiquing movies on Beaufort High’s Friday morning news. He loved that, and from there, he was always writing some script for something in and around his classes. Many assignments for school were films he wrote and directed. Beaufort High teachers and its resources were exemplary.
“Once he knew this was his path, I encouraged him to seek out BIFF for internship work. Here we were living in one of the industry’s noted locales! Beaufort’s a little Hollywood secret by the sea. What an impressive stint to have on his college resume. Ron and Rebecca were just wonderful. They were so kind and eager to help,” exclaims Elizabeth. Nicholas was with them for a summer doing office work, stuffing DVD jackets, and accompanying Ron to Parris Island graduations for filming. Overall, he was really introduced to the business aspect. His favorite task was organizing the film submissions as they came in. “Ron and Rebecca just welcomed him with open arms. It didn’t matter what he did, as the experience was immeasurable,” says Elizabeth.
He did another internship with Voltage Films in LA the summer of his junior year in college. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem (UNCSA) in 2019. He moved to Pasadena with college friends and now works for the Highland Film Group in Hollywood. Nick has already appeared numerous times in film credits. One of his short films was produced by his college when he was a sophomore. He has never wavered in his decision to pursue film. He lives and breathes it. Even during the lock down on top of job hunting, he wrote and directed the Podcast Improvisers. He had many stepping stones on the path to his dream, with BIFF as one of them.
Nicholas is a writer and a storyteller. “I believe we will see his name, rolling in the credits often, in the near future. All in all, he’s a special young man: smart, witty, and kind. But, then again, I’m his mom,” Elizabeth smiles.
We wish all four of these young men the best and brightest futures as they continue to pursue their goals and dreams. And thank you to Ron and Rebecca Tucker for providing the opportunity for these young people to have such a great experience in their hometown.
