Stanford student seeking clutterers for documentary project

[Cindy]

Reply directly to Ryan Malloy <rma...@stanford.edu> 202-360-5016

Hi,

I am a MFA documentary film student at Stanford University interested
in making a short documentary later this month about cluttering.

I am drawn to the subject matter for a number of reasons.

First, and most importantly, it seems to be a generally misunderstood
condition with potentially serious consequences for those that clutter
in addition to their families, neighbors, and municipalities.

Second, I believe that everyone has these same basic impulses to some
degree and an exploration of extreme cases will help reveal something
about human behavior in general.

Third, I think documentary filmmakers are engaged in an act of
collecting things that are often overlooked as having value by most
people.

And fourth, based on the preliminary research I've done, it has become
apparent to me that my grandmother is a clutterer.

I am interested in creating a serious and sensitive short documentary
that shows a poetic portrait of people who clutter and reflects on
what it means to collect things. I will be shooting 16mm film without
sound and separately conducting audio interviews, which means I won't
be conducting any on-screen interviews.

I am looking for several clutterers to interview and then film their
home environments. All participants will remain completely anonymous
(unless they desire otherwise).

Would you be willing to participate in an audio interview about
cluttering and your efforts to help people with this behavior?
Additionally, could you distribute my contact information to other
members of CLA for anyone else who might be interested in speaking
with me. Even if you or others are not interested in being recorded or
filmed, I'd still very much appreciate the opportunity to speak with
clutterers.

I have no desire to exploit anyone in this film, instead I would like
to engage people exhibiting this behavior in an honest way about what
they do and why they do it. I hope this film will help raise awareness
about cluttering and cause viewers to examine their own collecting
behaviors.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about my
proposed project. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you are
willing to offer.

Sincerely,
Ryan Malloy
202-360-5016