Degree Name
Master of Science
Graduate Program
Mass Communication and Media Arts
Advisor
Jan Thompson
Abstract
An ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF
SAMUEL J. MCGLONE, for the MASTERS OF SCIENCE degree in PROFESSIONAL MEDIA AND MEDIA MANEGMENT presented on *MARCH 30, 2017, at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.
TITLE: TURNING POINT: THE 2016 SALUKIS
MAJOR PROFESSOR: JAN THOMPSON
The purpose of this project was to document the journey of a football team through fall practice, but as camp ended it was clear the story was still unfolding. As a result, Turning Point follows the team through an entire season. Turning Point was borne because of a graduate student’s exposure to video services and athletics. During the assignment, it became apparent that following the team would make a great story. The graduate student status provided unfettered access to the SIU sports teams and promised insight for both the reader and the researcher. The football team was and still is going through an image change with a new head coach and staff and thus a renaissance in the culture of the program. Capturing that process on film will hopefully fill a gap in the research for football teams, coaches, and filmmakers. There are out takes of the players, coaches in meeting, practices and game day activities. The footage within Turning Point contains scenes that most are not privileged to as an average fan. Turning Point was designed to tell the story off the field to supplement and help tell the story on the field. Seeing what the players and coaches go through on a day to day basis invests the viewer into being much more than a fan, making the viewer a part of the reverence of what Saluki football truly is. The complexity of this team and the multiple story lines presented made this team the perfect final test for a thesis and the project tested all of the researcher’s skills to document a diverse and compelling story.