The Conference

Learn from the experts, who are working professionals in their fields. Meet new friends. Get the inspiration and skills you need to produce your film, channel, podcast, or portfolio.

postponed Due to Covid-19

 
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Hands-on

Workshops
& Demos


From narrative and documentary filmmaking, to cinematography, virtual and augmented reality, drone operation, animation and editing, broadcasting, photography, sound design, and so, so much more.

 
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Photographing People: DSLR Camera Tutorial

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Virtual + Augmented Reality

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Live Television Broadcasting

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Editing + Animation: Adobe Premiere + After Effects

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Capturing Sound for Film

 

The Workshops

For Students:

Virtual and Augmented Reality

With Brave Williams

Create experiences that aren’t quite real, but sure look it. Virtual reality and augmented reality are cutting edge approaches in the digital media world, and New England School of Communications instructor Brave Williams will run you through the basics.

Photographing People

With Kaitlin Mullen

Work with real models to learn the ins and outs of taking pictures of people. Kaitlin is a pro at lifestyle photography and you’ll learn how to put your subjects at ease and overcome your own anxiety as well. You'll be shooting for much of this session, so come ready to learn and shoot!

Video 101

With Jack Rohner

Get shooting! You don’t need fancy gear to start producing the kind of films and videos that make the world notice, and Jack Rohner will show you how to capture the action in a way that will hook your audiences, whether it’s with a smartphone or video camera. You’ll get some slick moves down just in time to craft your entry for the Maine Student Film & Video Festival!

 

GoPro Filmmaking

With david martinez

GoPros are the ultimate film tool - they fit anywhere, they’re perfect for on-the-move scenes and they can take the action. Learn how to shoot creative action shots with a professional filmmaker who knows how to put these mighty little cameras to use.

Steadicam 101

With steve vachon

Float your camera smoothly through a crowd or glide along with the action as your film takes shape. Steve is a pro with a Steadicam, and you’ll not only get a chance to try it out, you’ll also see what our mini-Steadicams look like with your smartphone. You’ll leave this session ready to say goodbye to shaky footage.

From the Field

With Shannon Moss

Learn how news reporters work on location, and get some experience telling stories in front of the camera. You’ll work in teams to tell “real-life” stories for a television audience in this fun, action-packed session that’ll give you the hands on experience to build confidence and wow your audience with plenty of pro advice from Shannon!

 

Recording Audio

With NESCom Staff

Get some studio time with audio experts from the New England School of Communications. Learn where to place mics for music and film, and get a handle on coming up with sound experiences that will take your work to the next level.

Telling Stories in Sound

With Lucy soucek

Learn how to make your audio story come alive! We will explore how to produce descriptive audio stories using everyday soundscapes as our playground. Learn brainstorming, recording and editing techniques along the way and leave with your own project to go!

Your First Film

With peter logue

Got an idea for a short film? Or maybe you want an idea and some tips to get started? Maine filmmaker Peter Logue will show you how to get your project up and running, and show you the ropes of working with actors and directing. Then you’ll get your hands on cameras as you learn to shoot the first scene of your story.

 

Editing 101 with Adobe Premiere CC

With Rebecca Conley

Get the basics of editing with pro-level software. Whether you find free software online or go with a more sophisticated option, this session will get you rolling in moving your work from camera to screen.

The Art of the Kill

With Corey Norman

You’ll learn how to dissect several famous kills from popular horror films, and then build shots to help "sell" the kills on screen, before re-creating a kill or two in our session. Don’t wear your best clothes for this session - lots of fake blood around!

Light It Up!

With Nick Woodward

Be the master of light and darkness - without using magic! Proper lighting can help tell your story, guide what catches the viewer’s attention and set a mood. You’ll use some very affordable gear to get started and you might even leave with a lighting setup of your own!

 

Grip 101

With Jack Rohner

What's a C-stand and why is it so important? How can we use it safely and to help us spark creativity while making money? Learn the basics of being useful, efficient, and staying out of trouble on set - just the kind of skills to make new friends and a buck or two!

Location Sound for Film/TV

With Justin LaCroix

Capture quality sound for video through location planning, boom operating and recording techniques. We will be using boom mics to follow dialogue in a reality scenario and also learn how to hide a lavalier mic properly. Syncing sound with video and set etiquette will also be discussed.

Advanced Editing

With Rebecca Conley

Already got some editing experience with Adobe Premiere? Maine Public pro Rebecca will show you how to get to the next level in this session for students with experience. Learn masking, color adjusting and much more! Experience required.

 

Live Truck Production

With Nick Godfrey

Learn about live TV production from Maine Public’s remote truck, the headquarters for that brain-testing show, High School Quiz Show: Maine. We’ll talk about live events from setting up the equipment to going over what it’s like during a live production inside the truck.

Shoot That Story!

With Kylee Hamm and Nevaeh Schuchardt

These two student film producers will lead you on a journey to telling stories through video. Whether you’re interested in short films or journalism, Kylee and Nevaeh will show you how to use any camera to frame compelling shots and win over audiences!

Making the Camera Work for You

With Brett Plymale

Learn how camera movements can create the feel and set the tone of your cinematic and documentary projects. We’ll be using a dolly, slider and jib to capture directed scenes as well as learning effective handheld techniques for getting the most out of a live action setting.

 

Shooting With Drones for TV and the Web

With Brian Bechard

Get the basics of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle laws and best practices for using aerial systems for photography and video. You'll review some drone reels and learn how different techniques impact the viewer. Some students will get a hands on experience with a drone, including piloting a brief flight and recording footage.

Get Started with Screenwriting

With Corey Norman

It’s all about the writing! Sure, cameras, lights, and audio is essential, but you wouldn’t get far without a well crafted story. Corey Norman is the director, writer, producer, editor, and oh yeah, founder of Bonfire Films. He has produced music videos, scripted award winning horror films, and his work has screened around the country. You’ll get the chance to workshop your story idea and leave ready to start producing the script for your latest film!

2D Digital Animation

With Brandon Soards

Learn how to use Adobe Animate and alternative free software to create animations akin to classic Disney and Studio Ghibli films. Students will create frame-by-frame animations and learn the once secretive technique known as rotoscoping.

 

Inspiration to Interview: Producing the Documentary

With Erin Murphy

Students will learn how to find a potential documentary subject, plan and schedule an interview, and how to shoot that interview. Students will practice using cameras, working with natural light, and recording sound.

Motion Graphics with After Effects

With Rebecca Conley

Adobe’s After Effects motion graphics software is the next step once you’ve got the basic of editing down, and you’ll learn how to make type, images and graphics come to life for the opening credits of that next film project you’ve got planned.

Podcasting 101

With Jon Graham

Join technical wiz and podcasting expert Jon Graham to create a short podcast! This fun series will explore what a podcast is, how to tell a story with sound, how to conduct an interview, how to use interesting sound recording equipment, and how sound editing works.

 

One Camera, One Location

With Kris Bridges

Learn the basics of filming the single camera scene. We’ll use a green screen, lights and one camera - along with some great acting by our participants - to tell a story in one shot. Learn how to turn a simple scene into something out of this world, and maybe, leave with a green screen of your own!

3D Animation

With Brandon Soards

Learn the basics of 3D Animation using Cinema4D, most known for its use in broadcast motion graphics such as with Fox, CBS, BBC and Marvel. Students will get a crash course in basic modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering. They can then apply these same concepts to free alternative software for their at-home projects.

Stop Motion Animation

With Brandon Soards

Tell stories and craft animations frame-by-frame with this film technique that creates captivating motion from individual moments. Forget about getting bogged down with gear - you can tell your story with minimal equipment and a lot of creativity.

 
 

For Educators:

Ideas for the Digital Media Classroom

With TBA

Whether you’re just starting a video production program or you’re an experienced educator, this session is designed to provide you with a variety of video based projects and ideas that you can use in your own classroom.  We’ll talk about project ideas, lesson plans, resources for royalty free audio, unique (and inexpensive) equipment as well as tips and tricks. We’ll talk about how we can expand student video journalism opportunities in Maine.

Responding to Student Films

With Corey Norman

In the field of video production, teachers must assess their students on not only the technical side of video production, but only on the creative side as well. This workshop will explore a variety of rubrics to better help educators clearly define the perimeters for a successful project.

Video Production in the Classroom

With Steve vachon

Steve Vachon is a video production instructor at Husson University’s New England School of Communications. He’ll host a working conversation about teaching with multimedia, sharing project ideas, approaches to engaging students, and helping them revise their work so they get to the next level.

 The Experts

Brian Bechard is an Emmy winning videographer/editor and an 18-year veteran of the video production industry. As an early adopter of UAV technology, Brian began to use the unique perspective of drone footage to enhance his work as a videographer and has since become an licensed FAA commercial drone operator. See examples of Brian's work at brianbechard.com

Brandon Soards is the Design/Technology Instructor at the Mid-Coast School of Technology in Rockland and Animation Instructor at Maine Media Workshops + College in Rockport. His business, Rubicon Edge Design, has specialized in providing multimedia for nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Coast region for 15 years, in which he has created 2D Motion, Frame-by-Frame, Stop-Motion, and 3D Animations.

Shannon Moss is an award-winning media personality in Maine and the host of High School Quiz Show: Maine, airing across the state on Maine Public Television each winter. Shannon is no stranger to Maine’s airwaves, having spent over 14 years as an anchor and reporter in the competitive Portland commercial news market.

Rebecca Conley has over 20 years of experience in graphics, video production, photography, and editing. As digital graphics producer for Maine Public, she produces content for television, print and online.

Corey Norman is an internationally distributed, award winning horror filmmaker, and a faculty member in the Communications and New Media Department at Southern Maine Community College, where he has been teaching for eight years. He's known for his films The Hanover House, Charlotte, The Invoking 2, The Witching, Monsterland, Tickle and Suffer the Little Children.

Jack Rohner's name comes up all over the place when people in Maine are talking about up-and-coming filmmakers. An MMTC alumni, he's finding the world of film/video production to be the best way to travel all around the country, working for organizations such as Samsung, Nike, The United Nations, The Boston Red Sox, New Balance, Bank of America, and so many more.

Justin LaCroix is a professional sound mixer and recordist for documentary film, reality TV, narrative film and commercials. He has traveled the world from Cambodia to remote Fiji, all across Europe and throughout New England working with National Geographic, VICE, CBS, HBO, HGTV and Survivor, to name a few, on sets both big and small.

Nick Godfrey is a graduate of Gardiner Area High School and New England School of Communications at Husson University. He is a Media Services Producer at Maine Public. He directs High School Quiz Show: Maine, High School Basketball Championship Weekend, and various other live remotes for state wide broadcast.

Lucy Soucek is a flex announcer/assignment producer at Maine Public Radio, based in Portland, Maine. She is an ethnographer and researcher of culture, religion and the arts, creator and editor of original audio content, and artistic collaborator, and works to forward intercultural understanding using multiple media platforms.

Brett Plymale is the owner and operator of Plymale Productions, a production company based in Portland, Maine. He was worked for 20 years in the field of film and video production. He began his career as a photojournalist for WGME, a CBS affiliate, and has gone on to serve as Director of Photography on various projects for HGTV, CNBC, Outside TV, Discovery, CSPAN, MPBN and many others.

Kaitlin Mullen is a self-taught professional photographer who specializes in portraits of people doing things they love. Her company, She's A Teacher Photography, works with clients throughout Maine, and in case you didn't figure it out, she's a also a middle school teacher in Gardiner.

Nick Woodward is the Television Production Manager for Maine Public Television. In his 30+ year career, he has shot scores of documentaries and television shows, hundreds of interviews and travelled to every corner of the state. Currently, he is the producer and editor for High School Quiz Show: Maine. He has won numerous awards including two New England Emmys and has extensive experience in both field and studio lighting.

Dave Boardman is a co-founder of the Maine Student Film & Video Conference and teaches the Mass Media Communications program at Mid-Maine Technical School in Waterville. A journalist, photographer, writer, videographer, and editor, he’s also the education program coordinator for Maine Public where he connects educators and students to opportunities in public media. Dave has two Emmy nominations, he’s an Apple Distinguished Educator, a National Board Certified Teacher, and holds a doctorate in education.

Mark Melnicove teaches “Screenwriting and Film Production,” a course at Falmouth High School where students write screenplays and make films of them. At the end of the academic year, many of these films are shown at the school’s student film festival, The Anchors. Melnicove’s film credits include Joy Glows Where Confusion Was, a film about Maine poet, publisher, and scientist Bern Porter that was created for Porter’s 2010 Museum of Modern Art exhibition.

Jon Graham is the Elementary Digital Learning Specialist for the Maine Department of Education. Jon has taught podcasting to teens and educators for many years and has lots of experience helping educators use podcasting in their classrooms as a learning tool. He is a lover of tech and digital learning in classrooms, helping educators design and implement new technologies into classrooms throughout Maine.

 

Location

Mid-Maine
Technical Center

3 Brooklyn Ave, Waterville

Conveniently located in Central Maine, students in grades 7 to 12 from all across the state are eligible to attend the Conference for free!

 
 
 
 

The Third Annual

Maine Student Film + Video Conference

The third annual Maine Student Film + Video Conference is a full-day event that will offer a slate of hands-on workshops for middle and high school students in narrative and documentary filmmaking, broadcasting, photography, and a variety of technical production skills. Educators will have access to professional workshops and presentations focused on teaching and learning with film in the classroom. Experts in these fields from across the state of Maine will work with small groups to provide individualized instruction. Attendance and participation in the conference is free, and registration is limited to 200 students and 50 educators.

Working filmmakers and professionals in the digital arts will be in attendance and lead all workshops. Lunch will be provided, and prizes will be drawn at the end of the day.