Date of Award
1-1-2015
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media
First Advisor
Rodney Buxton, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Lynn Schofield Clark
Third Advisor
Diane Waldman
Fourth Advisor
Hava Gordon
Keywords
Cinematography, Friday Night Lights, Mise-en-scene, Rural, Semiotics, Small town america
Abstract
What is Small Town America? The answer to this varies based on a person’s experiences. This is not always from real-world exposure, but often vicariously through television. For some, television is the only opportunity to create a perception for such areas. For others, television could reinforce or sway their perceptions of Small Town America. Therefore, a comprehension of the identity for Small Town America broadcasted through the small screen is important. This research utilized the theory of semiotics to analyze cinematography and mise-en-scene in the opening credits of Friday Night Lights to unearth the themes and overarching ideology for Small Town America conveyed by the series. A modern depiction of rural America that played on considered “traditional values” arose. Unexpectedly, the research also unveiled the inability for an “authentic” or cohesive identity for Small Town America, or any person, location or group for that matter, to exist.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Heather K. Smith
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
166 p.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Heather K., "Small Town America Under the “Lights”: Contemporary Images of Rural America in the Series Friday Night Lights" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1049.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1049
Copyright date
2015
Discipline
Mass Communication