Experiencing Interruptions?

Pay Deferred

A dysfunctional Indie horror set is turned upside down by three female extras who fight for the chance of a promotion from a dead body to a speaking victim.

Mayhem ensues until one lucky girl gets the line. Complicating the day's work is a has-been '80s action director, a lewd, lovesick crew member, a tormented second AD, and an egotistical B actor.

Hollywood is a playground. Hollywood is a horror show. Which one will this set become? And will anyone ever get paid?

  • Katherine Connor Duff
    Director
  • Katherine Connor Duff
    Writer
  • Katherine Connor Duff
    Producer
  • Amy Cosby
    Producer
  • Serena Laney
    Producer
  • Joanna DeCastro
    Producer
  • Steph Martinez
    Key Cast
  • Imani Woodley
    Key Cast
  • Kristin Wetenkamp
    Key Cast
  • Dante Rossi
    Key Cast
  • Ezra Parter
    Key Cast
  • Frank Krueger
    Key Cast
  • Sarah Casey
    Key Cast
  • Cameron Case
    Key Cast
  • Dane Oliver
    Key Cast
  • Milo Shearer
    Key Cast
  • Maddie Lee
    Key Cast
  • Jon Booker
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Horror, Satire
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 13, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    35mm, Red Komodo
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Red Movie Awards
    Reims
    France
    Nominated: Best Director
  • Big Apple Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    May 12, 2025
    New York Premiere
    Official Selection
  • LA Shorts International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 19, 2025
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Oniros Film Awards
    New York
    United States
    Won: Best Short Film & Best Make-up
  • LA Independent Women Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Won: Best LA Filmmaker
  • Chicago Indie Film Awards
    Chicago
    United States
    Nominated: Best Female Filmmaker
  • Berlin Short Film Awards
    Berlin
    Germany
    Won: Best Ensemble
  • Ice Movie Awards
    Courchevel
    France
    Official Selection
  • Another Hole in the Head
    San Francisco
    United States
    December 7, 2025
    San Francisco Premier
    Official Selection
  • LA Sun Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Won for Best Comedy
  • Lonely Wolf Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 18, 2025
    London Premiere
    Nominated for Best Comedy
  • Golden State Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 27, 2026
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Katherine Connor Duff

Katherine Connor Duff is a young Writer Director whose recent activities include winning Best Story, Best Actress, and Best Short for her film The Slate (2024) (from Toronto Female Film Festival, Red Movie Awards & One Reeler Film Fest), being interviewed by NPR affiliate KCRW for her play The Ninth Door, pitching her historical drama Dustbowl Blues to Halcyon execs, and rewatching her favorite film To Be or Not to Be.

As a director, she is a guardian of her written word, a conductor of actors, and a disciple of over a hundred years of film. Her inspirations include Billy Wilder, Ernst Lubitsch, Robert Altman, Luis Bunuel, and Howard Hawks.

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Director Statement

During turbulent times, I chose to write, direct, and produce a madcap comedy that skewers the entertainment industry and pokes fun not only of the people that inhabit it, but myself as well.

With this short, I explore the hierarchies that exist on set and the social masks people wear to get ahead.

To capture the excitement, and the ever changing, ever moving film industry, I filmed nearly the entire project on dollies. I used a large lens that was typical of New Hollywood directors like Scorsese- only instead of dramatically exposing the underbelly of New York crime families, I comedically expose the underbelly of desperate Hollywood actors.