A shadow cast on Hollywood

A shadow cast on Hollywood 

Alex Pham, Steven Zeitchik, Ben Fritz

“I’m asking myself what are we responsible for…” … action film director-producer Rob Cohen.

This article appeared in the Los Angeles Times, and was reposted in the Sydney Sun Herald. It is an interesting read and provides a perspective for consideration.

While filmmakers – writers included – are not to blame for the recent horrific events in Aurora, Colorado, we do play a part in shaping society’s thinking and behaviour. Film is a particularly powerful medium where we hold the attention of thousands of people for about two hours, telling our stories and infusing our ideas.

Violence has always been part and parcel of human behaviour, and therefore storytelling, so blaming violence in film as a cause for tragedies such as Aurora is misplaced, and to my current thinking, a cop out. People are still responsible for their own choices, decisions and actions.

But maybe us humans should be looking at a whole range of things that influence society and taking stock of what we have come to see as socially acceptable.  As writers, filmmakers and media, I believe we still need to constantly review the content of our production and consider the level of influence that we hold in the broader community.