Director: Nadia Burgess

Running Time: 7:05m

For more information visit: www.reelworks.org

DIFFERENT BRANCHES, SAME TREE explores the ways in which race, culture, family background, environment, and media influence individuals’ personalities, characters, and identities.

Aspiring filmmaker Nadia Burgess recently completed her first year at Briarcliffe College in Long Island. She created DIFFERENT BRANCHES, SAME TREE, her first film, at Reel Works, a nonprofit media organization that teaches filmmaking to teenagers. Burgess is the youngest filmmaker to be featured on this year's REEL NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL.

What inspired you to make this piece?

What inspired me to do my movie were my family and friends. I have always had culturally diverse people around me, so I felt the need to show what many cultures think of one another, and to realize that they are all very much alike.

Briefly tell us about how you made your film or video: what camera and format did you use to shoot your piece, and what system did you use to edit it? What is your working process? Did you use any special techniques to make this work?

I used Sony and Canon DV cameras to shoot my film. I don't really think I used any special techniques except when it came to editing, I used effects like page turn to introduce my cast and I used title pages to introduce topics and the title of my film.

Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?

Well, I made my film with the organization Reel Works Teen Filmmaking. And in the program you get assigned a mentor who's a professional filmmaker. But my mentor never was there for me the way she should have been, because the whole point of her being around was to advise me on my film. But she basically didn't pull through. But that was just fine with me because my new mentor became my teacher and was one of the co-founders of Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, John Williams. And I couldn't ask for a better mentor because he really helped me with my film and pulled through for me.

What is the relationship between your work as a video/filmmaker and life in the New York metropolitan area?

My relationship between the two is that because New York is so diverse with so many people across the globe I was able to make the film I did with DIFFERENT BRANCHES, SAME TREE. So I think I can continue to make great films in New York because of that fact.

What films/videos and makers have inspired or influenced your work and why?

I don't think any particular filmmaker has inspired me to make the film I did, even though I have many favorite directors. I always wanted to make films and animations and I guess my first inspiration for that were animated Disney Films. I would always watch one of their films and get jealous and I never understood why. Then when I got older I realized I was jealous because I didn't think of the ideas first. So I would have to say that Disney was my first inspiration.

If viewers are interested in obtaining copies of your work for rental and purchase, whom should they contact and at what address and phone number?

Reel Works Teen Filmmaking
357 Ninth Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 768-7100 Ext 139.
thelab@reelworks.org