Film panel
talks violence

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

The increase in violence in film and television is determined by what audiences want to see, and has translated into big profits for filmmakers. That was one of several conclusions from a panel discussion "On Screen Violence: How Much is Too Much" during the 18th Hawaii International Film Festival.

Panelists included film critic Roger Ebert; producers Deborah M. Pratt ("The Net"), C.M. Chan ("Gates of Hell") and Miguel Valenti; former Canadian censor Bruce Fletcher; and Hawaii attorney Jeff Portnoy.

"Violence is inherent in our culture," Pratt said. "It's the public who determines ... what we make."

Pratt offered that "controlled violence" like professional football and contact competitions may be "a substitute for things missing" in people's lives. "The only real fear factor (people) face today is what they experience in films, or see on television," she said. "Often there are lessons to be learned (from entertainment violence:) Don't give in to the fear (because) you can survive."

Pratt is more upset about television news coverage than what she sees in television and film fiction. She cited live footage earlier this year in Los Angeles showing a man shooting himself in the head.

"I've always been an advocate against news that's too real being shown on television" because children could be watching, Pratt said. Producer Valenti added that recent terrorist bombing in Israel captured on video was "bloodier and more gruesome than anything I've ever seen in the movies."

Panelists skirted the effect of violence on kids, but Laurie Pratt, executive director of Mediascope which sponsored the panel, cited studies that says "violence desensitizes people in general; children become more aggressive after viewing a violent film; and that by age 17 children have seen some 16,000 murders on television."

But what really drives filmmakers to use violence is money, Ebert said. "Violent films export better than dialogue films. They make more money. About 50 percent of a film's gross comes from the overseas market."

Another disturbing trend, Ebert said, is humor in violent movies which helps to desensitize audiences even further from its horrors. "In many of (Arnold) Schwarzenegger films he makes some kind of joke right after some violent act," he said.

Attorney Portnoy agreed that while audiences may have become immune to on-screen violence "99.9 percent" are mature enough to know "it's just a movie" and it has little effect on them.

Asia's censors require violence to be portrayed as problematic and consequential. "The bad guys have to either end up in jail, be hospitalized, or killed," he said.

Asian-Americans need to be proactive

In another panel, several Asian-American filmmakers, actors and writers said the entertainment industry continues to perpetuate stereotypes of Asian-Americans, and give little support to increasing the ranks of Asian-Americans in acting and production staffs.

Panelists were Garrett Wang ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Amy Hill ("All American Girl"), director Anna Chi, film marketer Laura Kim, Hawaii writer Gary Pak, and moderator Jacqueline Kong, executive director of Asian-American Media development, the event's sponsor.

Until his "Star Trek" role, Wang said most of his auditions were as a Chinese or Japanese gang member, or delivery boy.

Asians are "the most under-represented group" in film and television, and even when represented, American audiences are given skewed and damaging images perpetuating negative stereotypes and social misunderstanding, Hill said.

"When an Asian-American is given a show like we were with (Margaret Cho's) 'All American Girl,' there is very little room for mistakes," Hill said.

Panelists complained that too many non Asians are writing "our story." The lack of Asian-American writers in the industry is a major concern, Wang said. The solution is to help train and increase the pool of creative talent within the Asian writing and production community, he said.

Perhaps most importantly, Chi said, is that Asian-Americans must be more supportive of one another. "Asian-Americans need a collective voice. Too many Asians who make it in Hollywood don't want to share," she said.

For Asian-Americans to break into Hollywood, they must develop concepts and stories into presentable screenplays; support writer's workshops to further the development of projects; assist in preparing the project for public broadcasters, non-profit production houses, and mainstream media distributors; and help pay development overhead.

"If we don't create our own stories," Kong said, "who will?"