30 Days- Jail episode

Nico Musitano

Description• The show “30 Days” takes a look at different situations that

creator Morgan Spurlock puts himself or other people in to show stories that common people might not know about.• In this episode Spurlock decides to serve time in jail for 30

days. He claims he does not have any extra protection. They put him in an location where the inmates are mostly in there for robbery or drugs. The area is open with cells a long the sides but the prisoners can walk around the area whenever they want. It is all inside. • Throughout the episode he also gets to experience solitary

confinement and the rehabilitation area.

Description continued • Throughout the episode you also meet other prisoners who you

end up feeling sympathy for.• The viewer sees how tough it is in prison but not in the ways

that most people might think. Morgan Spurlock explains how hard it is not being able to see the outside or see loved ones. He shows how uncomfortable it can be and how it can make someone go stir crazy.

Analysis • Spurlock does show what life in prison might be like. He really

expresses his emotions and the emotions of his fellow prisoners. • You feel sorry for all of the other prisoners who he introduces. All of

them are portrayed as good guys who can’t get themselves out of trouble. He shows how these prisoners want to get help and improve their lives and as the viewer you want the same thing for them.• He explains how he doesn’t think the prison system is effective for

people who want help. He thinks that confining them to this area and pretty much forgetting about them is not helping them improve.• He shows how there is a lot more hope in the rehab area and it

seems like the program that they have there can really help people.

Interpretation • I believe Morgan Spurlock’s intention was to show that just because

someone might be a prisoner, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are a bad person.

• The purpose of most of the episodes of 30 days is to give people a look at the experiences of other peoples lives and beliefs.

• It also is intended for the audience to be sympathetic towards these people, to connect, to be educated, and to accept.

• In this case, the audience does accept the prisoners instead of writing them off as just bad people. He wants us to see that they are human beings just like us who made mistakes and some just really want to do better.

• The audience might also agree with him on his idea that the prison system isn’t effective and maybe a little unfair for certain prisoners.

• This is what Morgan Spurlock wants everyone to see and believe.

Evaluation• I believe it is a good message to send. No one should

have a one sided view on anything. There are always two sides to a story. Yes, most prisoners have done very bad things and deserve to be in jail. But that does not mean that a lot of them aren’t good people at heart. That doesn’t mean that there is no hope for them. A lot of prisoners want to get help and want to improve their lives. By showing what their experience is like in prison and how it affects them emotionally, really shows the other side to these guys instead of just seeing them as bad guys.

Engagement • I would encourage everyone to watch any episode of

“30 Days.” It is a great show where you can learn more about a situation that you may not know much about. • “30 Days” is no longer running which I think is a

shame because it is important for people to be educated on everyone’s situations so no one is quick to judge others. • Accepting others for their beliefs, situations, culture,

etc. is crucial to the well being of our society.

Who created this message?• The show was aired on FX and created by Morgan

Spurlock.• Morgan Spurlock is a documentary film maker and

political activist.• Since this is a basic cable channel, the intended

audience would be everyone. It is a show that I think most people could find interesting. When Spurlock talks to the camera in the episode, there doesn’t seem to be a specific target audience. Just anyone that is watching.• Morgan Spurlock’s political views tend to be more

liberal which would explain the messages that he tries to send through a lot of these episodes.

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?• The visual of the jail alone is enough to attract my

attention. It is very bland looking, crowded, but still seems very lonely and depressing. There are no windows to the outside world and the cells are very small.• The music throughout the episode perfectly portrays

the mood. Kind of sad, a little hopeful and then dark.• Sometimes there would be shots of the cells through

what looks like security footage which adds to the authentic effect.

• Some people may be very closed minded and only see the prisoners in one way. They may not believe that the emotions that they portray are real and believe they should be in jail forever. • A person that may be a former prisoner may see this

differently to. Maybe he or she had really bad experiences in prison and not believe that there is any light to that dark situation. • Maybe family members of prisoners who never

improved their lives may look at all the prisoners in the episode as lost causes as well and not people who have hope.

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

What values, lifestyles or points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

• I believe the biggest value in this episode is life. It is shown through this episode that small things like fresh air, trees, the sky are things that we take for granted until we can not have them anymore. Spurlock repeatedly says he wants to see trees and the outside world and when he does, he’s very excited.

• Also, when people have damaged their lives so much, they see how much damage they have done and use it as a wake up call to try and improve. These prisoners are tired of being in jail and claim that they want to change.

• We get the story of two prisoners who have both done a lot of time in jail. They both get out of jail in the episode and you hope that they change their lives. But at the end it is revealed that they both went back to jail shortly after they were released. I think this proves how real the episode was and shows that there isn’t always a happy ending for everyone.

• This shows the positives and negatives of prison. There is sometimes a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel can be a really dark place to be.

Values continued• The prisoners in the episode weren’t the worst

criminals that would be in jail. They were there for drugs, robbery, etc. It did not show the prisoners that were in there for murder, rape, etc. It would have been interesting to see how the message and the mood might change for people who are in jail for life for more serious crimes. I don’t think they would have been able to do that because that would put Spurlock in a lot more danger.• I could get those stories from other documentaries,

memoirs from prisoners, books etc.

Why is this message being sent?• I believe that Morgan Spurlock truly cares about

making sure everyone’s story gets told. As a documentary filmmaker it is his job to tell stories that many people haven’t heard. Through his experiences I think he has come to care about all different kinds of people. He wants the world to see that just because someone is different from you, that doesn’t mean they are any less of a person than you. I believe “30 Days” empowers everyone. It shows that everyone can relate to each other in some way.

Do you actively consider the media’s messages? Who gains and loses from it if any?

• I do consider every piece of media’s messages when taking them in. After looking at it critically and getting both sides of the story, I then form my own opinion. • I believe that everyone who is portrayed in every

episode of “30 Days” gains from it because their story is being told in a positive light. It is being told so other people can understand them better and have more empathy for them instead of writing them off because they’re different.