STORE

Synopsis (3 lengths)

(275 Words)

What would you pay to hang onto the random stuff you've collected all throughout your life, but it just doesn't fit in your house? If you are like the many of the people we met while shooting this film, the price you'll pay to keep these tangible remnants of your memories is in excess of $40,000. When I moved to LA, I left a full storage unit behind in NH, and like most of the people in this film, I thought I go back for it. It's amazing how quickly soon becomes someday.

It seems like there a storage complex on nearly every corner. What is everyone hanging on to? Why? And is it worth it? And speaking of complexes, every time I try to get rid of something, I hear myself saying, "But it's my stuff." "I'll need it as soon as I get rid of it." "There's nothing wrong with it." "I might wear that." "It was a gift", and so many more justifications. I needed to know if I alone in my attachment.

Using footage collected from interviews shot all across the country, we explore the uniquely American fascination with personal storage. Combining key points from each interview, themes emerged such as cost, security, living space, loss, emotional attachment, and what items we need/want/love/have/use/store. In STORE, we 'pass the baton' as it were and tell our stories in concert with the others. Rather than focusing upon a few detailed stories, we share a few details from a lot of stories. In short, we discuss the fine line between collecting and hoarding, and why simply having is so important to us all.

(150 Words)

What would you pay to hang onto the random stuff you've collected throughout your life that you want to keep but it doesn't fit in your house? Many of the people I met chose to pay in excess of $40,000 for tangible memories.

It seems like there a storage complex on nearly every corner. What is everyone hanging on to and why? Speaking of complexes, every time I try to get rid of something, I hear myself saying I'll need it as soon as I get rid of it." "There's nothing wrong with it." "It was a gift," and so many more justifications. I needed to know if I alone in my attachment.

In STORE, we 'pass the baton' and tell our stories in concert. Rather than focusing upon a few detailed stories, we share a few details from a lot of stories. In short, we discuss why simply having is so important to us all.

(3 Lines)

What would you pay to keep random stuff collected during your life, but it just doesn't fit in your life or your house? 

More than that why would you hang on to it at all? I know every time I try to get rid of something, I hear myself saying, "I might wear that." or "It was a gift." Is that why there are full storage units all across America?

In STORE, we discuss why simply having is so important to us all.

(1 Page)

Even though I am a bi-coastal storer, I kept wondering why is there a storage complex on nearly every corner? What is everyone hanging on to? And why?  Speaking of complexes, every time I try to get rid of something, I hear myself saying things like; "I'll need it as soon as I get rid of it," "There's nothing wrong with it," or " My mom gave that to me."  Was I alone in this? Given that 1 storage unit exists for every 14 people in the US, with more being constructed daily, I think not. 

Seeking answers, we roll up the doors and rummage through the storage units of a wide cross-section of Americans including Hollywood legends Jane Withers and Margaret O'Brien. By exploring the various reasons why we use storage and what is so important that well pay to keep it, but just not in our homes.  Is it simply materialism or an innate genetic drive? A desire to have immortality by creating a physical identity or just the unwillingness to let the past go? Where's the line between collecting and hoarding? One manager we interviewed, said, "this is caused by the 4-Ds Divorce, Drugs, Drinking and Death."  Hopefully there are more pleasant reasons as well, not just human failings.

If we are lucky, our childhood home still exists and its full of treasure that demonstrate our passage through life.  Hence the full attic or basement at our parents house.

But if we had to move it all out and now live in an apartment, a storage unit seems a necessity. Is it simply a modern convenience?  After all since the time of hunters and gathers we stored the excess we had in preparation for the times of scarcity.  Does the act storing now symbolize to our greatest natural instinct to survive?

We could be building monuments to our lives. Perhaps creating modern tombs, hoping like the Egyptians that we can take it with us, or at least to show others who we are and make a mark that we existed.  However, considering that some of the most unique items that people tell us they store are; a Peruvian mummy, an Academy Award, a 3-foot tall bronze Moses, and several urns, what are we saying about ourselves and our values?

Other than the 20 million storage users in the US and anyone else who has ever wondered what's in all those storage units, some specific audience groups who would be have a particular interest in STORE are: Clutter Coaches, Therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers, Students and Professors of Popular Culture, American Studies and Psychology, Storage Company Executives and Employees, and

Researchers involved in the obsessive-compulsive/hoarding disorder (Neuropsychiatric) fields.  These folks at UCLA estimate that there are 1 million compulsive hoarders in the US as well.  Internationally 80% of the storage units are used by businesses and 20% by the general public, (this statistic is reversed in the US).  I estimate strong foreign interest based on curiosity and driven by the current advertising attempts of those overseas storage companies who are working to build up the personal storage use market.  The vast majority of the above groups are well represented on the Internet, therefore they can be contacted directly quite simply and at limited cost.

STORE was shot on mini DV utilizing Panasonic DVX-100a cameras in California, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona. We interviewed over 150 people with various ties and experiences with storage including managers, users, reformed users and de-clutter experts.