Hollywood’s Creative Cadres Get Briefing From Valenti

On the heels of a congressional vote condemning the entertainment industry for its role in glorifying violence, movie and television writers, directors and producers huddled Friday in Los Angeles with the motion picture industry’s chief Washington spokesman to voice their concerns over the sustained attack on Hollywood by politicians in the nation’s capital.

Veteran film directors as well as creators of television’s top-rated shows were present as Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, held a series of briefings throughout the day.

Among those attending were directors Arthur Hiller, Howard Koch, John Badham, Michael Bay and John Carpenter, as well as Chris Carter, creator of “The X-Files,” John Wells, executive producer of “ER,” and David E. Kelley, creator of “Ally McBeal,” “The Practice” and “Chicago Hope.”

“I think what Jack wanted to hear was how we would respond to some of the statements emanating from Washington, and if people are called upon by the government [to testify], what would they say,” said Jack Shea, president of the Directors Guild of America.

“We are perfectly willing to sit and examine and talk, but we want to be careful that the 1st Amendment is not bypassed in any way,” Shea added.

For weeks, Hollywood has grappled over whether it should respond to politicians’ inflammatory attacks in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. In May, Valenti met with major studio heads in what he described as an industry focus group on the issue of youth violence. At the time, he promised to return to meet with the creative community.

On Friday, he kept that promise, holding back-to-back meetings with the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America. Sources said he also planned to meet into the night with the Producers Guild of America.

Among Hollywood’s chief concerns is the fear that the debate now raging in Congress might lead to some form of government control of the arts.

“The bottom line is nobody wants government control on these things,” Writers Guild board member Charles Pogue said. “We don’t want a minister of culture.”