How far would you go to cover up your mistakes? Would you destroy another person’s life to protect them? Those are the themes that our short film Gas Station delves into. Guiding us through blackmail, guilt and deceit, the characters in the film are faced with a unique situation where two people’s mistakes come together, creating a life or death situation, altering the course of each person’s life.

Gas Station is all about guilt and what it might drive a person to do. Through a unique story about a double robbery at a gas station late in the night, we discover three characters, each with their own personal struggles, who must decide whether to protect themselves and their own self interests or protect those around them. With this film I believe we have set up a simple yet unique storyline that I think will really engage audiences with what I think is a fresh and interesting take on the very commonly used story theme of theft and murder. We have a small cast of characters, but each character is thick with backstory and development.

My name is Kris Mish, and I am the writer and director of Gas Station. I have been a film writer, director and producer in Calgary, AB for the last 5 years, and have worked professionally in the industry in town in various positions on indie and professional productions in Alberta. I have also worked in the theatre industry in Calgary for the last 7 years as a lighting and sound designer and technician. I am very passionate about all of the projects I work on, especially with films I direct. I am thrilled to be starting this next project, following the successful completion of Renegade Productions last film Under Pressure, which is now entering the festival circuit. Gas Station is a film that is very important to me as it is all about creating a story that engages people, drawing them in, but also a story that really makes you think. I believe it’s important to make a film that is visually stunning but that also has a truly engaging storyline that people will want to watch and will enjoy.

For me, you cannot just make a film with a good story. You have to make sure that every aspect of the film is held up to the high standard so that it can be fully enjoyed by everyone who watches. To make a truly stunning film, both visually and story wise, we need your help. With your support, we will be able to create a visually stunning film to match the powerful story of the script that will prove to engage audiences throughout festival engagements as well as in it’s release on Netflix and iTunes.  

We’re looking to all of you to help us reach our goal of fundraising $10,000 for the production of this film. Now we know that’s a lot of money, and we do not take that lightly. It takes a small village of people and a lot of equipment to make a strong, visually stunning, successful film. Now we want to make sure when we are asking for this kind of money, you know where your money is going. We have broken down our budget into four main parts to explain where your money will be going. 

The majority of the money will go into the Camera and Lighting budget of the production to help pay for equipment rentals as getting a camera, lenses and all of the lighting can be expensive.  The second largest part of the budget is then personnel costs. We want to make sure we have an experienced and knowledgeable team to make sure we are making the best film, and that means we have to pay to have them be a part of the team. The third part of the budget is the Art Department, which includes buying and renting props and costume pieces, buying all of the necessary equipment for special effects and covering any general costs associated with making the visuals you see on screen seamless with the story. And the last part of the budget is for General Production Costs. Now this part of the budget covers the cost of insurance required to be able to film on public property, it covers the cost of locations, permits, printing costs, as well as covers things like advertising for the film, festival submission costs, and water and food for our incredibly hardworking team.

If you are able to support us and help with funding the film, we want to make sure you are as much a part of the process as all of our cast and crew. We have a series of perks available from t-shirts and autographed photos to a personalized video from the cast and crew from on set and a chance to come visit us on set during production and meet the cast and crew in person and see us in action.