FILMMAKERS ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

Byline: Marla Matzer Staff Writer

Directors Guild of America president Jack Shea has been in the filmed entertainment business for nearly half a century: 49 years and counting. His own work has been mostly in television (directing such shows as ``Designing Women'' and ``The Jeffersons''), but he represents directors of both film and television in his DGA post.

Shea has standards for himself and his family: Over the years, he says, he has kept his children and grandchildren from watching movies and TV shows he felt were too violent for them. On the other hand, Shea and the DGA are very concerned about filmmakers' First Amendment rights.

Q: Do you think the current outcry about violence is unique, or just part of a cycle?

A: I think it is part of a cycle ... I hate to be cynical, but I think every time Congress is looking for an excuse and wants to grab some headlines, the easiest target is show business. They know they're going to get in the papers that way ... I think that is a large part of their motivation.

Q: What has the DGA been doing in the face of the continued government scrutiny in this area?

A: We have legislative lobbyists in Washington who keep us apprised of what's going on. The DGA came up with a statement of our beliefs on this subject. We did say that we have to respect that there are responsibilities that filmmakers have. But we're also prepared to defend any of our people against unjustified attacks. We're not hiding behind the First Amendment, but we're very concerned with First Amendment rights.

Q: Will the DGA have any public programs on this subject?

A: We may have some future public gatherings or programs. Everybody (in our membership) seems to want to talk about this subject. We're trying to decide what the right forum would be.

We also have some ongoing educational projects for young people. We're conducting an educational series of meetings for middle-school-aged children, from about 12 to 15, to teach them about the creative process. The first group is taking place in Chicago. We deal with how movies are made, how you can interpret them and learn from them. It's sort of a media literacy project. The more people know about these issues, the better for all of us.

Q: Is there a distinction, though, between images that should be protected as artistic expression and those that are simply gratuitous?

A: I personally think there is such a thing as gratuitous violence. Our statement says that there are ``legitimate issues concerning the responsibilities of filmmakers and our industry to society.'' I do think that most filmmakers are interested in the common good ... Certainly, nobody is trying to hurt children. But everybody's going to interpret the common good a little differently.

Q: Do you have a suggestion to consumers, especially parents, who want more ``family'' movies?

A: One of the most important things for parents is to understand what their children are seeing and hearing. I see mothers bringing in young children to very, very violent movies. Last year, I was with my 7-year-old grandson. He turned on the TV, and I was amazed to see some of the very violent cartoons he was watching. I said, `I don't want you watching this,' and turned it off.

With movies, there are several different information sources parents can use. There are the MPAA ratings. There are church group publications. There are newspaper reviews. I think that people are just trying to dump their responsibility, to a great extent, on others.

So many people say, we want more family movies. But you ask them, which ones did you see this year? And they haven't seen any, though there have been a number of good ones out.

This is a business. That doesn't mean that people can just do irresponsible things in the name of business. But the two have to go hand in hand to some extent. There are a lot of businesses - the insurance industry, for example - that have to do good, plus make money. That's the nature of business.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- cover -- color) Industry leaders address accusations of promoting violence.

(2) ``I do think that most filmmakers are interested in the common good,'' says Jack Shea of the Directors Guild of America.

(3) Restricted - Under 17 requires acompanying parent or adult guardian.