Directors Amariah and Obin Olson talk about the inspiration for their new film Operator opening in cinemas nationwideOctober 21, 2015
When a veteran 911 call center Operator’s daughter is held hostage, she’s left desperate with no choice but to follow a caller’s rules; send a message through dispatch for all Los Angeles police and fire units to scatter to remote destinations where they are met with chaos; cars crashing, explosions, and gunfire.
Not knowing who or why, the one thing Amanda knows is if she fails to secretly collaborate with one of the police, her ex-husband – she’ll be the sole person responsible for facilitating the biggest crime of the century. Now she must race the clock to make the choice of her life – save the city – or save her daughter.
Operator stars Mischa Barton (The O.C., The Sixth Sense, Notting Hill); Luke Goss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Frankenstein, Blade II) Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible, Dawn of The Dead, Pulp Fiction) and Michael Pare (The Lincoln Lawyer, Hope Floats, The Philadelphia Experiment).
“Operator is an action/thriller exploring an aspect of society that is important but often overlooked: 911 call center operators and emergency dispatchers,” says director Amariah Olson
“The Story was compelling for us as directors because of the insight it provides into these unsung heroes, men and women faced with so many crimes and having to learn to deal with these situations as the first response team… and then throw in the thought of “what if this system were taken over by a criminal to pull off the biggest heist of the century?” We thought this idea would be very interesting to explore as a film, thus Operator was born,” he added.
Olson explains the film is about everyday people who get thrown into extraordinary situations. “Luke Goss doesn’t play a superhero cop. In fact, he’s just been demoted and is struggling with his personal life. Mischa Barton’s character is a mother, a behind-the-scenes type of hero. Ving Rhames isn’t just the bad guy. He had to play an intense character with only a phone, no other actors to play off of. Michael Pare’s character is a cop that toys with greed and with frustrations that seem common these days.”
Audiences will enjoy the various layers that make this high-octane film more than the stereotypical shoot-em-up flick. Suspense and intrigue gets woven through every scene. We try to keep the suspense high and the action well-paced. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. You don’t know who’s in on it. You don’t know what’s going to happen to your favorite characters or the characters that you hate the most.
When the audience has to pay Php200 for a film, they need to be able to feel fulfilled when the end credits start rolling. If they can feel gratified with a fun, suspenseful thrill ride that keeps them guessing, then we’ve done our jobs.
Starting October 21, answer the call of the OPERATOR in cinemas nationwide. Distributed by Solar Pictures.