Guns & The Entertainment Industry

[Drizzt]

The first part of this shows the suggestions the EIC is making for polts and scripts, even though it shows precisely what their agenda is, when viewed in context with the study shown in the latter half of the post.....


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The Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) think this information, the first in a series of bi-monthly emails we'll be sending out, might be of use to you when considering potential story lines. Cognizant of the criticism and scrutiny being generated in Washington toward the creative community, we recently convened a Round Table of writers, directors, producers and other industry professionals to brainstorm alternative approaches to traditional "shoot-em-ups" -- approaches that are more aligned to what actually happens in the real world.

Hopefully, these depiction suggestions will not only be the impetus for fresh story ideas, but will imbue scripts with a realistic sense of gun violence consequences for people on both sides of a pointed weapon. They are designed to enhance the creative process -- not limit it.


DEPICTION IDEAS


Attempt to highlight alternative resolutions to conflict rather than relying on gunplay as the only or automatic means of settling confrontations. Clashes can be resolved by other less lethal means, perhaps by characters using their wits and cunning to overcome opponents.

Consider highlighting the emotional consequences for the shooter, such as feelings of guilt, remorse, personal angst, and so on.

Consider incorporating such real-life scenarios as:

-The shooter or possessor of a gun being accidently injured by it.
-A gun accidentally misfiring while being loaded or unloaded by a criminal or other user.
-A gun misfiring and injuring someone after being accidentally dropped.
-Consider the story potential that may exist in a family filing suit against a gun manufacturer for injuries or death sustained by a defective firearm that misfired.

Try emphasizing the fact that introducing a gun into an argument lethalizes anger: What could have been resolved with just harsh words, or even cuts and bruises, may end up with a death. Guns don't allow for cooling off or reconciling once the momentary or situational anger subsides.

Consider reflecting the reality that homeowners often freeze up or tremble so badly when trying to use a gun in self-defense that they are unable to deploy it. Or show them as being too frozen in fear to even get the gun.

Where appropriate to the story, consider portraying a teenage girl threatening to break up with her boyfriend unless he gets rid of his gun -- or a boy doing the same with a gun-owning girlfriend.

Explore depiction of legal prosecution or civil action taken against parents for negligently leaving a gun available to a child who then uses it to either intentionally or unintentionally harm themselves or others.

Attempt to provide a positive role model by showing parents making gun safety inquiries of other households where children visit, asking about storage, accessibility, and so on.


SOME RELEVANT INFORMATION


In 1998, 30,708 people were killed by guns in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July, 2000).

A total of 3,792 kids 19 years or younger were killed by gunfire in 1998 -- enough for more than 246 Columbines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July, 2000).

In 1996 and '97 more Americans were killed by firearms than were killed in the entire 11 years of the Vietnam war (Firearm Injury Center, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, 1999).


For more information on gun violence, safety, and injury prevention,
please contact Barbara Lurie at 818/955-6845 or blurie@eiconline.org.


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Now for the study......

http://eiconline.org/violence/focuson/index.htm

....What emerged from this research, involving 206 teens and 256 adults, was somewhat surprising. As expected, results pointed toward the types of portrayals that tend to increase the attractiveness of guns and gun violence - and conversely, to those that decreased their desirability. But even more interestingly, the findings suggest that the media has a far stronger potential for conjuring up an aversion to gun violence than an allure.

For example, the most effective on-screen scenario for making firearms attractive was found to be their use in self-defense, rated as making guns “somewhat” or “much more desirable” by 42% of the respondents. The next most enticing depiction, a “justified shooting”, was chosen by 24% of the sample.

By contrast, the negative responses to certain gun portrayals were more profound and universal. Showing “a child accidentally shot” made guns less desirable to 80% of the respondents - almost twice the number who were attracted by the self-defense portrayal. “Seeing the victim paralyzed” decreased firearms’ attractiveness for 72% of the sample. In fact, 10 of the given depictions decreased the desirability of guns for the majority of respondents, while none of the scenes received a majority vote for heightening attractiveness. In other words, many more people were negatively swayed by specific gun use portrayals that were positively impacted. The results are shown in Chart 1.

The overarching theme for effective anti-violence messages appears to be a focus on the undesirable outcome of violence: the legal, emotional, and particularly, physical consequences. Elements the research has isolated as effectual are congruent with those identified in the 1997 National Television Violence Survey (NTVS). They include:


showing victims paralyzed or in pain (more effective than simply killing them off and not dealing with them again)
portraying the victim’s family suffering
showing the victimizer’s family being blamed
depicting violence as being unjustified
The results of both studies suggest that not all gun violence is created equal, and that when it comes to impact, context may be much more important than just amount.

....When asked to choose factors that exert “considerable influence” on their attitudes about guns, people say they rely on their own experiences the most. Fifty-four percent of the 462 people responding to an Internet survey conducted by ASI Entertainment chose this factor. Parents and guardians were the next most significant source of attitudes according to the results of the survey, commissioned by EIC.
Both television and movies came in at about the middle of the pack at 19% each, tying “teachers” in relative influence. Teens (13-17 years) did not differ significantly from adults in the amount of influence credited to TV shows and films. Nor did the amount of time spent in front of TV sets or at movies have any bearing on how much influence viewers attributed to these sources. In other words, increased exposure did not produce increased influence.

If you want some good laughs, read all 3 pages of the study.

[JoeSF]

Here we go with the gun stats again. How many americans died from drug overdoses? Aren't most of the same people trying to legalize drugs?
San Francisco just passed a measure allowing the city to grow pot for "medicinal purposes."

[Seeker]

What I find most revealing is that the EIC is conciously working to "guide" the opinions of the viewers. It is working to cross the line from enterainment to perception managment.

[Futo Inu]

I say, consider a story line where the hero citizen's gun doesn't work because it's a "smart gun" and the technology fails.

[anonymouse1940]

How about showing a storyline of corrupt politicians and chiefs of police departments and certain mayors selectively enforcing laws and bending rules for favors or recognition? How about a show on revealing deputy U.S. Marshals, note the "deputy" status. How about a show on borderline felons being given badges and guns and limited law enforcement powers due to their social status in an area known for extreamly high crime and murder rates? How about a show taken from real life account stories from some publication such as the American Rifleman? How about a show extolling the abusive practice of no-knock warrants and the consequences of going to wrong addresses or of getting quickie warrants from "friendly" judges based on little evidence? How about a show on defense attorneys who take advantage of a crowded court system to overtax the prosecutors into settling a plea bargain under the duress of implied threats of taking all cases to jury trials and refusing to agree to speedy trial wavors in order to get a "regular" client a reduced sentence from what otherwise would be a potential felony conviction?

Uh, I'd better stop or I'll be here all day.

[Hkmp5sd]

industry professionals to brainstorm alternative approaches to traditional "shoot-em-ups" --

Easy. Make movies that do not contain firearms.

Either live by their anti-gun morals or sell themselves for money and make shoot-em-ups. Isn't there a word that describes selling yourself for money?

Oh, sorry. I forgot. They are part of the priviledged few that can own firearms both on and off screen due to their superior intellect and emotional stability.

[coati]

Seeker nailed it with "perception management."

The entertainment industry bungles along with this type of manipulation periodically (remember the "A Team"--lots of explosions and gunfire but no injuries) not only with violence but with tobacco and other issues du jour.

However, product placements continue to increase.

[Boats]

The A-Team was using Mini-14s, it is no wonder they never hit anything that bled.