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Lights, Camera, CLASSROOM
“The MEA members at Maine Public enjoy the opportunity to share our unique set of skills with the students and educators in Maine so they learn ways to integrate video production into their teaching and learning.”
NICK GODFREY
MEA members from Maine Public foster innovation
D
Media Services Producer and President of the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation Employees Association (MPBCEA)
irecting and producing a TV show, shooting video, reporting the news, creating animated graphics, flying a drone and now teaching those skills—they’re all part of the work done by a group of MEA members who work at Maine Public. On top of their day jobs for the radio & TV station, the Maine Public employees are dedicated to using their real-world knowledge to help students in classrooms around the state. Together with educators and media professionals, the MEA/Maine Public employees helped students explore the world of broadcasting, photography, special effects, and more at the Maine Student Film and Video Conference. The free, annual event draws close to 200 students and 50 educators from Rhode Island to New Brunswick the chance to learn directly from journalists, videographers, editors, screenwriters, and more. Students receive hands-on experience in the fields of narrative and documentary filmmaking, broadcasting, photography, and technical production of tv and radio. The event is co-directed by MEA member Dave Boardman, Mid-Maine Technical Center’s Mass Media Communications instructor, and Mike Perrault, director of the Maine Film Center. Boardman says the conference gives students a chance to get hands-on training from professionals in video production, sound design, photography, and other fields. “These are growing fields, and it’s important for students to see a pathway to these careers. Working with professionals for a day gives young people that chance to try out something they’re interested in and meet the people who do this for a living,” said Boardman. A separate conference track, designed for educators, helps them explore the power of student-
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Maine Educator • September 2019
