Directors Call for Expanded Ratings
By GARY GENTILE, AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) Responding to federal criticism, the
Directors Guild of America said Thursday that the entertainment
industry needs a better self-regulatory system to keep violent and
sexually oriented material away from children.
The directors said increased federal scrutiny of movie marketing
is welcome, as long as it doesn't cross the line into censorship. ``This is not a repudiation of the current system,'' said
director Gary Ross. ``It's opening a dialogue. The system needs to
be evolving.''
A report issued this week by the Federal Trade Commission
charged the industry with aggressively marketing violent films,
music and video games to young children. The issue was the subject
of congressional hearings, where some entertainment industry
representatives defended the way they market their products.
In contrast, the directors' guild called for a self-imposed code
of conduct covering the marketing of movies and urged theater
owners to forbid the admission of underage children to movies meant
for adults.
``We need a new, more detailed ratings system,'' director Rob
Reiner said at the headquarters of the guild, which has about
11,500 members.
However, the directors said the primary responsibility for
protecting children lies with parents and that a new ratings system
should provide clear, detailed information on the nature of the
content. The FTC report called for a similar expansion of movie
ratings.
``No filmmaker wants his or her film to be seen by those for
whom it was not intended,'' said a statement released by the DGA's
Task Force on Violence and Social Responsibility. The directors said they have been frustrated by the current
ratings system, administered by the Motion Picture Association of
America. The ``R'' rating, which limits admission to those 17 and
older or under 17 if accompanied by a parent, is too broad and is
sometimes applied to films inappropriate for viewing even by
17-year-olds, the directors said.
The NC-17 rating, long opposed by filmmakers, is an ``abject
failure,'' the directors said, because it forces them to cut just
enough out of a film to warrant a ``hard R rating.'' The DGA is at odds with the
MPAA, whose president, Jack Valenti, has long defended the 32-year-old movie rating system as adequate.
On Capitol Hill this week, Valenti pledged that Hollywood would
stop targeting kids with ads for violent, R-rated movies, but
balked at suggestions that the rating system should be changed or
enhanced.
The directors did not offer any suggestions for a new system. But Paris Barclay, who directs episodes of
``NYPD Blue'' and ``City of Angels,'' said something along the lines of the advisory
aired before some episodes of ``NYPD Blue'' would be appropriate.
Related Links:
Directors guild: http://www.dga.org
MPAA: http://www.mpaa.org/home.htm
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