New KPU film-studies journal challenges perceptions of field

Accessibility and mentorship help Mise-en-scène reinvigorate cinema discourse

Though high-level scholarship is traditionally thought to be a solitary affair, Kwantlen Polytechnic University english instructor Greg Chan is breaking the mold with a new film-studies journal that promotes the study of film as a collegial, interdisciplinary art form “grounded in the visual narrative.”

Operating out of the English department, the official film-studies journal of KPU is named Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film and Visual Narration. The publication features a fully-online, multi-format, open-review and an “open-access model [which] makes all of our research available to the community” without subscription fees, says Chan, who is also the editor-in-chief.

The artistry of filmmaking [and] of cinematography, as well as how artistic elements such as architecture and design contribute to filmic storytelling “one frame at a time,” are central to the mandate of the journal.

The publication is accompanied by a new internship program launching in the fall that—unlike the journal’s articles, which feature M.A. and Ph.D.-level scholarship—encourages undergraduate student participation.

Ultimately the journal will fuse this internship work with scholarship from graduate-level film studies academics and film industry professionals concerned with mise-en-scène analysis. The titular analysis is an interdisciplinary aesthetic concept that Chan argues “is enigmatic because it almost defies definition,” though is generally understood to be the arrangement of scenery and props up on the stage or big screen, as well as how these things contribute to the visual narrative and storytelling technique.

The internship will begin in the English department, and then expand to other departments in the faculty of arts. In some cases the students could earn full or partial credits for particular courses, and would work as assistant copy editors, assistant layout specialists, and assistant proofreaders.

“They would gain valuable experience working on an academic publication that is fully online,” says Chan.The journal’s international advisory board, meanwhile, is represented by independent scholars in the field, practitioners, and innovative researchers.

“We are fortunate to have a wide range of expertise on our board,” says Chan.

This board would include UBC screenplay specialist Miguel Mota, queer theorist David Gerstner from City University of New York, African-American film historian Allyson Nadia Field from the University of Chicago, film noir expert from Ball State University Richard L. Edwards, and Shakespearean and Indian cinema scholar Poonam Trivedi of the University of Delhi, just to name a few.

Beyond his work with the digital humanities and Mise-en-scène, Chan teaches composition, literature, and film studies in the English department at KPU, and in June was awarded a Recognition of Achievement for 20 years of service to the KPU community. He is also currently working with colleagues to design a new minor in film studies program, which at this time features English courses at the second to fourth-year levels, though more courses will be added in the coming year.

“Mise-en-scène will be the anchor of that program. We are anticipating that our students will be interns for the publication,” he says. “We are excited about these brand new offerings in the Faculty of Arts.”

Chan expects the film studies minor program will be open and available to KPU students sometime next year.