MESSAGE BOARD: Violence in Entertainment

June 27, 1999
Web posted at: 6:17 p.m. EST (2317 GMT)

In this story: Filmmakers' social responsibility Subpoenaed directors to get aid RELATED STORIES, SITES

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- In the aftermath of the April 20 high school massacre in Littleton, Colorado, President Clinton and Congress have taken Hollywood to task, suggesting the industry has contributed to a culture of violence through bloody images.

The Senate authorized an investigation into the marketing of violent games and shows to children and a federal study into the psychological effects on youths of violent video games and music.

Now, Hollywood is making a pre-emptive strike. Fearing that filmmakers' freedom of expression could be curtailed, the Directors Guild of America voted Saturday to lobby against legislative restrictions and to provide legal help to directors who become targets of "government intrusion."

The 21-member national board of directors unanimously approved a resolution that also calls for establishing a task force of leading directors to "explore and research the issue of violence."

The task force would devise methods to educate guild members, the "creative community" and the public on violence and the "rights and responsibilities of Hollywood," the resolution said.

"Our mission is both to ensure that the First Amendment rights of our members are not trampled upon by overzealous legislators and also to raise the consciousness level of the entertainment community with regard to the social responsibility of filmmakers," DGA President Jack Shea said in a statement.

The guild represents about 11,000 film and television directors and assistants across the country.

The directors guild also approved a requirement that government agencies consider a show's violence level before granting a permit to film on federal property.

Shea has said the First Amendment rights of filmmakers are as threatened now as during the 1950s era of anti-Communist blacklisting.

The DGA resolution states that "the issue of the portrayal of violence in motion pictures and television should be decided between filmmakers and their audience," and that guild directors who are subpoenaed by government agencies will receive guild support and legal representation.

Filmmakers must be protected from "unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion," the resolution states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.