Hollywood Violence: 2 Views : Culture: Universal Studios debuts fiery ‘WaterWorld’ stunt show. Meanwhile, industry leaders hear pleas to tone down violent images.

Fiery explosions, punctuated by rhythmic bursts of gunfire, boomed across Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday as the theme park unveiled its “WaterWorld” stunt show for an international press corps.

At the same time, in a hotel conference room at the edge of the theme park, more than 100 Hollywood insiders and executives met to wrestle with an equally fiery topic--violence and drug use in films and TV.

While stuntmen fell before a blazing Gatling gun, the nation’s drug czar, Lee Brown, pleaded with the industry to take account of the effect such images have on the viewing public.

“This is not a Democrat or Republican problem,” Brown said. “It is an American crisis.”

The juxtaposition of the events was unintentional. The theme park planned the attraction’s debut months in advance. The symposium was sponsored by the Entertainment Industries Council, an industry coalition created to forge a link with public policy-makers recently critical of filmmakers.

But the fact that the events were happening at the same time was ironic, said Pancho Mansfield, a cable TV director who attended the symposium. Mansfield, a creative director for Showtime Networks, added: “I hope people realize that it’s all fantasy.”

Many of the symposium’s participants, who gathered at the Sheraton Hotel, suggested that Hollywood voluntarily reduce violence in film, TV and music. They set a goal to develop entertainment acceptable to most parents, politicians and Hollywood executives--shows that do not encourage children to use drugs or engage in violence.

“We are deeply concerned about the cultural environment that our children are being brought up in,” Brown said. “They are being desensitized about drugs and alcohol use, which is damaging to their minds and souls.”

Had they been on hand to hear it, his point might have been lost on the dozens of schoolchildren who attended the preview of “WaterWorld--a Live Sea War Spectacular.” Scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Saturday, it is the most elaborate live production in Universal’s history and, at a reported cost of $15 million, the most expensive. It was based on a Kevin Costner film.

Theme park executives worked to re-create a wide array of special effects from the film’s spectacular battle scenes. The audience was seated close enough to the action to feel the heat of the pyrotechnics and breathe the smoke of smoldering fires.

“By the time they get to age 18, most children will have spent more hours in front of the television than in a classroom,” Brown told the symposium. “And they will have witnessed more than 1,000 murders, rapes and assaults on television.”

During the 16-minute “WaterWorld” attraction, the audience saw 55 pyrotechnic detonations. Several characters were shot. The provocatively dressed heroine was chained to a dock. And when the villain entered the arena, the crowd cheered. A life-size plane smashed through a wall, crashing into the water just a few yards short of the grandstand.

“People say that the audience knows we are just fooling, that the violence isn’t real. But the continuous depiction of violent acts desensitizes the audience,” said John Fauria Jr., a USC professor of cinema-television and former president of the Writers Guild of America. “The long-term effects are a poison on our society.”