• 1-paragraph synopsis

Leigh Taylor is a collector, market trader and legitimised hoarder. Collecting stamps, coins and marbles from a young age, his hobby has developed over the years and he now describes himself as a “hoarder of all things”. Edwardian Japanese Vases are his most recent infatuation, owning over 80 particular items of all sizes and colours. This documentary begins at the Camberwell Markets where Leigh sells the items he doesn’t want. We then move to his home where his real obsession and addiction materialises before our eyes.

• What you want from the film?

My aim with this piece, is to make the audience really like Leigh Taylor. He is quirky, funny, weird and intense. He has an awareness of his addiction, Hoarding and is able to talk about it in a humorous but intimate way whilst revealing things about himself which provide the audience with a sense of identification and understanding.

• What will is do for the participants?

Leigh and I have been collaborating RE the content of the shoot and what it is he will be revealing to us. He has a selected the things he wants to show us when we visit him at his home on the 28th of September. Leigh will also be involved in the editing stages of the process. He will be in control of the his own representation. I’m aiming to create a piece which Leigh can hold and cherish for a long time. A media portrait of himself which reveals the dark and light sides of his personality, in such a way that he feels proud to show other people.

• What do you want the audience to get out of it?

I’d like the audience to gain a deeper understanding of what it is to be a hoarder, the psychological state of mind behind the obsession and then personalise it by  getting to know Leigh on a deeper level. By liking the subject, I hope that the audience can feel less boggled or confused by hoarding, and accept it as another form of one dealing with fears and anxieties.

• How will you expand your participation? This can be from forming a more collaborative relationship, to getting participants to contribute in other ways by submitting their own material, to asking your interviewees to participate in how and where they are represented/interviewed?

Leigh and I have been talking regularly in the lead up to this shoot on the 28th of September. He is excited to be as he says “the star of the show”. As well as the discussion of hoarding and what it has meant to him over the years, Leigh has selected some very personal and private items that he will show us during the shoot. I’m less inclined to describe this process as a set of questions or a formal interview. I’d like to be completely invisible during the process as author or director of the film. I’d like to set up the shoot as though Leigh had a friend or a guest over to his house, and was being with them in a familiar way. Rather than play the role of interviewer and interviewee, I’d like the piece to take on a less informal but more intimate tone. Instead of asking Leigh explicit questions about ‘hoarding’ or his life, he will take us where he feels compelled too and if I will prompt him with stimuli that he has provided me before the shoot. We have discussed what the film will be about and where it will go, if he veers of course so be it, but if needed, I will remind him by mentioning different events or feelings that will hopefully remind him and prompt him to take the conversation in a certain way (that we discussed prior).

• What is working best in your project

Having Leigh as a willing participant who I have met throughout this exploratory process, is a great element of the project. Having someone who wants to be filmed and reveal their story is exciting for me. It’s also a concept I didn’t set out to explore. I set out to discover a market place, and suddenly I’ve been invited to this mans house to uncover some serious collectables!

• What are the biggest issues (technical and conceptual).

The only concern I have is with lighting. I have asked Leigh to send through some photos because we will be shooting early dusk late evening. The house will be fairly dark and I’m aiming to achieve a warm aesthetic but this can be done through camera settings rather than lighting.

Looking forward to the shoot. x0x0