PAYDAY by Chase Dudley
Release Date Announced!
The upcoming release of action-drama feature
Payday, directed by Chase Dudley has been set for December 4, 2018! The film will be distributed by Indie Rights Movies.
The film sees Dudley paired once more with writing partner Brentt Slabchuck in a production by A Cut To The Chase Productions, LLC. An Atlanta based filmmaker, Dudley is best known for Marvelous Mandy and Payton’s Burden, as well as the upcoming, and already much talked about, Beasts of the Field.
SYNOPSIS: When inexperienced criminal, Ben, 
holds up a small town restaurant, the poorly planned robbery spirals into a hostage crisis beyond his control. Trapped inside with him is his girlfriend and the restaurant’s Manager, Adie Graham. As Ben tries to keep their connection secret while negotiating with the police, Adie has her own plans in mind.
I had the opportunity to conduct a short interview with Chase for some more insight about the film and his future plans:
MyIndie Productions: Tell us about Payday. What would you like to let people know about this film, the plot and how this production came about?
Chase Dudley: I always wanted to tackle on a hostage negotiation heist film, especially after watching my favorite one, Dog Day Afternoon starring Al Pacino. So I wanted to do something similar but also make it my own and I felt I really did that with Payday. There’s a lot of surprising elements in there that could not be share in the trailer so as not to spoil, so you’ll have to watch to find out. I’d rather not give away plot points that can ruin the viewing experience.
MIP: I noticed a number of familiar faces (Bishop Stevens, Colton Wheeler, Tiffany Fest, Lara Jean Mummert, etc.) within the cast. Can you tell us a little about the casting process and how or why these specific actors were chosen?
CD: Casting is ninety percent of a director’s job, so it’s very crucial when you think of people who can portray the characters you envision. Especially when it comes to strong performances and the fan base they bring, as let’s be honest the big studios pick a lot of people due to their fan base and social media following as they have to bring butts to seats and you have to bring in actors that will give Hollywood-calibre performances. Indie films are more harshly criticized in my opinion.
Bishop Stevens (Ex-WWE and WCW wrestler turned actor) I watched on WCW and WWE, the Walking Dead and Chicago PD. He has charisma like no other. I loved working with Bishop. He taught me so much, he’s very helpful like that. It’s great to have someone like him on the set.
Lara Jean Mummert (2 Jennifer, Anomaly, Lilith, Ugly Sweater Party) reached out to me and I loved her acting once she sent in an audition. She was supposed to play the role of Katia but scheduling conflicts arose with another actress. I knew Lara would make a terrific Adie.
Tiffani Fest (Circus of the Dead, For Jennifer, Garden Party Massacre, Ugly Sweater Party) and I have tried to work together on a few projects and when there was finally an opening for Payday, I wanted her to play something out of her comfort zone. I wanted her to portray a very caring hostage negotiator, something she has never done before. She instinctively played that very well, one of my favorite performances in the film.
Colton wheeler (Lilith, Ugly Sweater Party, TV’s Extant, X-Men Revolution) was cast as Fred, a very spoiled, asshole of a customer. Colton always gets cast as one of the assholes in his films but he’s one of the most laid back people I’ve ever met.
MIP: It seems that although primarily happening in one location, the production was extensive with a large cast and crew, extras, etc. Can you tell us a little about the experience of that side of the production?
CD: This was by far the most stressful experience I have had in 
filmmaking so far. So many people to communicate with and the area was so cluttered I literally had no privacy to get a clear head. There were so many questions, problems, etc. At least I can laugh about it now. I lost my sanity a little bit on this project. But I’m very grateful for the opportunity, as this project definitely prepared me for dealing with a much bigger budget in the future and I mean that in the best way possible. Everyone was so amazing to work with.
MIP: I noticed that with the upcoming release (with distributors Indie Rights), you opted to go to VOD and physical release (DVD/Blu-Ray), foregoing an attempt at an extensive festival run and the search of distribution in that way. Can you share with us how that decision came about?
CD: Payday didn’t have a successful festival run as the movie was a tad bit too long and there was no way for me to shorten the movie without compromising key points of the film. There were many distribution companies that loved the film, so I had the luxury of weighing out my options on this project.
MIP: You currently have another film, Beasts of the Field (starring, among others, fellow MyIndie featured artist Gregory Blair) in post production. When can we expect to see a release for that one? Is there distribution already in place? Will it be a similar distribution strategy to Payday?
CD: Beasts of the field was definitely a shorter 
script, so will not be as long as Payday and that’s the key for having a great festival run, having a film under 90 minutes. It has amazing production value and great acting and fantastic sound. I am very confident it will have an amazing festival experience. I expect to complete it sometime in late 2019.
MIP: Finally, are there any future projects you are working on right now (after “Beasts”) and what can we expect from Chase Dudley and A Cut to The Chase Productions in the near future?
CD: I currently have two projects I’m working on. I am working on a powerful female narrative drama called Wingman Loss written by Mikayla Daniels and I am working to put together an amazing team. I plan to shoot during fall of 2019. I am also working with Gregory Blair on a horror/drama called Injustice. It’s a ghost story that involves a slave ghost. I’ll post more details soon regarding the project. I hope to shoot that in late 2019 as well.
Thank you, Chase, for giving us your time and your candour. It is much appreciated and we wish you great success with Payday and other future projects, which we are sure to cover here on myindieproductions.com.
Payday will be made available on December 5th, 2018. It will firstly be released on Amazon and then Amazon Prime with Google Play and iTunes to follow.
Some Behind The Scenes Pics by Larry Green:
