Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Sarah Mae Fleming: In this article, I analyze Jordan Peele’s Get Out in terms of both the horror genre and Hollywood conventions. My essay argues that the film subverts both generic conventions specific to horror and broader cinematic traditions to create a film that expresses a Black fear and anxiety toward whiteness, in direct conflict to Hollywood’s long history of portraying a white fear of Blackness.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
SMF: The stereotypes outlined in Donald Bogle’s “Black Beginnings” were very important to my study of Get Out. I also benefitted from Paula Massood’s study on the racial connections to the rural and the urban environments in early cinema. Once I started seeing Bogle’s stereotypes on the white characters, and the reversal of Massood’s farm/city dichotomy, it allowed me to dig deeper into what the film was suggesting about race and Hollywood.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
SMF: This article was written as a final paper in an African American cinema class, in which we were given freedom to write about any topic related to representation in African American cinema. Immediately, I was drawn to Get Out and leapt at the opportunity to really explore why the film was so successful.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
SMF: I have been extraordinarily lucky to have the unwavering support of the film department at Rhode Island College. I wrote two undergraduate theses with the immense help of my advisor, and I was selected to present both of my theses at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Undergraduate Conference in 2018 and 2019. I was able to attend and present my research because of the generous grants offered to me through Rhode Island College.
FM: How have your faculty mentors fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
SMF: The film department at Rhode Island College has supported me immensely. My professors reached out to me about the SCMS-U conferences and were endlessly patient in helping me prepare to both apply and present. And of course, several of my professors were kind enough to guide me through a number of editing processes for this Film Matters article.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
SMF: The process of peer editing was very helpful – it’s always invaluable to have a new set of eyes completely separated from yourself and your work to offer suggestions. Formatting my writing as an article also helped me reassess what I needed to say. Questions like, “What does the image mean to the text? What quote can I use to express what I’m trying to say?” really affect the editing process and can help to craft your argument more clearly.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
SMF: I hope that other film lovers read my article. I hope that anyone who is interested in the social impact of film will be intrigued by what Jordan Peele accomplished with Get Out. Sometimes, you just love (or hate) a movie, and you’re not sure why. Writing this article helped me better understand what was just so great about Get Out. I hope that people feel encouraged to understand why they feel a particular way about a film and investigate it.
FM: What are your future plans?
SMF: I’m currently working in media research and I am just beginning the graduate school process. With my five-pound GED test book, I will hopefully be attending graduate school for film studies, somewhere in the world. I would like to continue writing about film and television as long as anyone will listen!
Author Biography
Sarah Mae Fleming graduated Rhode Island College in 2019, double majoring in film studies and literature. Her research interests include Hollywood cinema and pop culture. She currently is working in new media research and has plans to attend graduate school for film studies.
