It was a show that most Saskatchewanians loved or loved to hate. Corner Gas depicted what it was like to live in small town Saskatchewan and for those of us in small towns we found parallels in the characters with people we knew in real life.
It showed how a sleepy little town, isn't actually sleepy, it's filled with goings on and excitement just minus the crowded atmosphere of the big city.
As I curled last year, I yelled "Have a heart!" on occasion because when characters from Corner Gas curled, one thought that's what the curlers were calling when it was really "Hurry hard!" It gave me a chuckle and my curling partners just shook their heads.
Now the antics of Hank, Oscar, and the gang are actually coming back after years of being off the air.
Have you ever heard of Kickstarter before? It's an online site, which allows people to propose a project to the world and if people think it's a good idea they can pledge money towards it. It's called crowdfunding and it's a new way people are doing business.
From movies to music to new innovations the list of what can be found on Kickstarter is endless. Major projects, however, have been movies from old television shows off the air for years, but whose fans are still dedicated.
This includes a movie to be filmed in Saskatchewan and something that will make my dad quite happy, a Corner Gas movie.
The film had set a goal of $100,000 in 30 days to which if they would be unable to reach it they do not receive the pledged amount. However, in just one day it has already surpassed its target and as people continue to give they currently sit, on Monday, May 26th, in the morning at just over $180,000 with 23 days of fundraising to go.
It's an interesting idea. Propose a project, offer different perks for the various amounts people support them with, and only are funded if the project meets its goal. This is why Corner Gas has people continuing to give despite having already met their target goal.
In fact the big ticket items have all been supported which include a role in the movie either with a speaking part or featured in the background. The speaking parts going for $6,000 while the 10 people picked up the background characters for $2,500 a piece.
The fun part about doing something this way is that it gets the people who watched involved. You're a piece of the action whether you bought the $6,000 part or simply gave $5. It's also a fun way that you can see where people are from that love a little piece of Saskatchewan as donations towards Corner Gas: The Movie have come in from places around the world like Australia, China, India, and Kyrgyzstan.
I have actually given through this means. There was an artist out of British Columbia and I enjoyed their previous music, so I gave $20 and once it was complete received a CD in the mail.
I just find the idea of crowdfunding a unique 21st century idea because this gives people more say in what they want to see from Hollywood or other filmmakers. In supporting a local musician or artist and in return being given a CD. It opens a whole new platform for creating anything.
From comics to fashion to apps for your phone there are literally an unlimited number of things people are producing through Kickstarter funds.
I think this is a wonderful idea, people are able to put what they are working on out into the world and if enough people think it would be interesting they help to back them in their endeavour.
