Join us for a night of laughs and beer! Don’t miss the comedy show and “Like” us on Facebook.
What: Stand-Up Comedy Show
When: May 12, 2012 @ 8:30pm
Where: Clancy’s Irish Pub - 2542 Portage Mall, Portage, IN 46368
Hosted by: Steven J. Budkis – Star of Bar Room Hero
Featuring:
Save the Internet and Watch Bar Room Hero at No Cost!
We are movie-makers. We thrive on freedom of speech. We’re in a pickle.
Ironic how many movies are in favor of higher levels of thought, such as freedom and equality. These types of films even go on to garner critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Yet, every day we hear from the news and from people around us about stories of freedom and equality oppressed.
With the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), the freedom of the internet is threatened. As much as we filmmakers would like to protect our profits (especially small independent filmmakers like ourselves), we feel the freedom of the internet and our freedom as a people is more important.
With that said, we DO NOT support SOPA or PIPA.
It’s obvious that the internet itself has flipped the world on its ear. The internet has forced everyone to step back and re-evaluate what is actually being sold. Is it the music or the CD being sold? Is it the news or the printed paper? Is it the movie or the DVD?
We are attempting to find answers on how to sell traditional media that can now be easily and instantly consumed online. However, we need to re-evaluate ourselves as consumers. If there is a product that provides you value, wouldn’t you want to support it through payment rather than piracy? Of course, that is a lofty idea that we filmmakers hope consumers would do. Unfortunately, with our current reality, piracy is the reason PIPA and SOPA is being pushed. As you can see, we’re all in quite a predicament.
However, as stated before, we are against PIPA and SOPA and would like to show what we are willing to do:
We filmed our first movie titled “Bar Room Hero.” Our process was as independent as indie filmmaking gets. We were fortunate to have the support of hardworking people who have never made a feature-length film join us for 10 very long days of intense filmmaking. Limits were pushed, however we miraculously ended up with a finished film.
In efforts to maintain the freedom of the internet, we are streaming “Bar Room Hero” for your viewing pleasure. You’re free to watch it without pay. However, we would most assuredly appreciate and encourage a donation that will help fund our next films. As much as we would like to altruistically give away “Bar Room Hero,” the reality is that for us to continue making films we need funds. Cash flow is what allows us (and big movie studios) to continue making movies.
If our world was in its own movie, the ultimate movie ending would be getting rid of money while everyone’s needs and wants are met. We’d make movies for free and everyone would enjoy movies for free. Maybe one day that happy ending will come. However, until then, let’s keep the freedom of the internet intact and movie-makers in business.
To recap our intentions:
Here is the link to BAR ROOM HERO streaming:
http://www.barroomhero.com/
Please, share and let’s stop SOPA and PIPA together!
For more details on the dangers of SOPA and PIPA, read Stephen DeLeon’s (Writer & Director of Bar Room Hero) view on the matter at:
http://stephen.kingstous.com.
Sincerely,
Kings To Us Productions
www.KingsToUs.com
As an independent filmmaker, I understand better than most the devastating effect online piracy can have concerning one’s creative endeavors. While online piracy does present a problem, The Stop Online Piracy Act is not a viable option. The Stop Online Piracy Act or S.O.P.A. has been introduced into Congress and is currently being debated. S.O.P.A. seeks to expand the scope and power of U.S. law enforcement to the degree that they can block and/or hold liable any website that may allow for the posting of copyrighted materials by anyone other than the copyright owners.
The problem with this bill is that it allows copyright holders to hold websites legally liable for what their users post. They want YouTube,Vimeo, and Facebook along with every site on the Internet that hosts user-generated content to be responsible for policing everything their users post. This is highly impractical considering these sites have millions of posts a day. Copyright holders would then be able to sue the website hosting user-generated content that violates copyright law which would lead to astronomical legal fees for these websites, eventually forcing them to shut down. We are facing the potential death of a large portion of our online creative communities, we the many would be punished for the actions of a few. Going down the slippery slope of censorship is fraught with peril, both domestically and abroad.
Supporters of the law get angry any time people bring up censorship, but any effort to block content is a form of censorship. What we can argue is whether or not this form of censorship makes sense or is a policy that people think makes sense. But no one should deny that bills that lead to blocking access to websites is a form of censorship.
We, here at Kings To Us Productions, have decided to stream our initial feature film, Bar Room Hero for free. You’re free to watch it without pay. We would most assuredly appreciate and encourage a donation that will help fund our next films because unfortunately money makes the world go round and in order for us to make more movies we need money. You can donate a dollar or nothing at all, either way there is no longer a need to illegally pirate our copyrighted material. We are attempting to curb the allure of online piracy while also redefining the revenue model for film, which is inevitably the bottom line with S.O.P.A. We are confident that we can take measures to combat Online Piracy without passing laws with such broad reaching powers and consequences.
We do not support The Online Piracy Act regardless of it’s “good intentions”, remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Please, contact your local Senators or Congressmen and let them know that if S.O.P.A. is passed, they can expect your vote to go their opponent next election. I thank you for indulging me and I hope you enjoy our movie.
Stephen DeLeon
Writer/Director: Bar Room Hero
Watch Bar Room Hero:
http://www.barroomhero.com/saves-the-internet
Now you can watch Bar Room Hero with Video On Demand!
You can stream, download, or buy the DVD. Watch now!
Bar Room Hero is the first film by Kings To Us.
Visit BarRoomHeroMovie.com for more details.
Bar Room Hero
