20 days without TV

Using an array of unobtrusive cameras to record the words and actions of the participants, the documentary shows the transformation these families undergo as they spend twenty days without any television or video. First there is boredom, followed by adjustment. Finally, most participants eventually discover new things about themselves, their families, and what's really important in their lives. With the help of daily logs kept by the participants, we see how life improved for those who are willing to turn off the tube. The purpose of the 'experiment' in the documentary was to underscore just how much television has taken over our daily lives. We may be the ones who turn on the TV, but often it is the TV that controls us: We schedule our day around its programs, we end up wasting valuable time watching things of no particular interest to us, and we let television become a substitute for communication and interaction with our family and friends. All this can be seen through the video and logs kept by the participants. At first, many find other activities to fill what has become a much longer day. Some take up new hobbies. All of them have to learn new ways to deal with family members that television has caused them to ignore. We see parents and children evolve from being isolated from one another-- even though they're in the same room-- to becoming happily integrated families again. Through the participants, the documentary viewer can get a sense of how much life is sapped from our existence by the constant flicker of the television. Maybe it will inspire some of them to see for themselves what happens when they to twenty days without TV.