WATERVILLE — Students and educators from around the state can learn from professional cinematographers, animators, audio engineers and broadcast experts at the Maine Student Film & Video Conference scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at Mid-Maine Technical Center, 3 Brooklyn Ave.

This student-focused conference can provide a chance for students in grades 7-12 to take part in hands-on, interactive workshops from award winning filmmakers and professionals who make their living in the field, according to a news release from the technical center.

The event is coordinated by the Maine Film Center and technical center’s mass media communications program.

“This will be an amazing opportunity for any student who’s curious about filmmaking, video journalism or nearly anything that involves audio, video, photography or animation,” said event organizer Dave Boardman, the Mass Media Communications instructor at Mid-Maine Technical Center, according to the release.

Close to 40 sessions will be offered throughout the day for both students and educators. Some of the workshops will include drone videography, directing the horror film, 3-D animation, makeup and special effects, designing soundtracks, and an advanced cinematography series.

Several colleges with programs in digital arts, communications and filmmaking will be on hand, connecting with students throughout the day.

Registration is free and both students and educators can sign up at mainestudentfilm.org/conference. Lunch and a T-shirt will be provided free of charge.

Sessions designed for educators will include teaching screenwriting, responding to student films, and even an idea brainstorming session for educators looking for creative approaches to teaching multimedia production.

The Maine Student Film & Video Conference is sponsored by Mid-Maine Technical Center, the Maine Film Center, Waterville Creates!, the BF Foundation, and the New England School of Communications at Husson University.