Operation: Cavity is a film that taps into your inner child and consequently takes you on a wildly thrilling ride. The film follows a group of young kids who team up to rob the dentist who has wrought havoc on their childhood. Equal parts heist and adventure film and embellished with notes of romance and suspense, Operation: Cavity reminds us of the joys of childhood friendships, summer vacation, and untamed imagination.
In our email interview below, the film’s director Alex Morsanutto talks about the energy on set, the rewards and challenges of working with child actors, and the personal inspiration for Operation: Cavity’s story. Having connected with Morsanutto over the course of the HollyShorts Film Festival, it’s immediately evident filmmaking and storytelling are what he was meant to do. For him, cinema is a tool for connection as much as entertainment. In addition to forming his own production company Silvermine Productions, Morsanutto also lent a hand in establishing the Norwalk Film Festival in his hometown as a way of “connecting Connecticut filmmakers and strengthening [the] local filmmaking community.”
Before we get into Operation: Cavity, I wonder if you might tell us about your own filmmaking journey? Where did it all start for you?
I started filmmaking at an early age after my siblings and I started making music videos inspired by the Numa Numa YouTube craze. That interest turned into a passion and I started to come up with any excuse to create a video … whether it be a school video, a sports highlight reel, anything. I remember as a kid, I always wanted to be an actor, but once I realized and understood the impact the role a director has on a project, I instantly got turned on to it. I pursued filmmaking in college and after a baseball scholarship didn’t pan out, I transferred to the film program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The school was a great place for me to refine my skills and experiment with different themes that I tend to gravitate towards. After graduating, I worked at ABC News for two years, but after countless days of daydreaming about making films, I decided to leave journalism and commit to filmmaking. From there, I started my own production company called ‘Silvermine Productions‘ which is where I launched my commercial career. Commercials, albeit not narrative films, provided plenty of opportunities to practice the craft of directing and collaborate with talented people. Eventually, after I got my sea legs under me, I was able to squeeze in some short film projects like Hi-Glow Retro, Waiting: The Story of DJ Morrell, and eventually Operation: Cavity.
Operation: Cavity perfectly blends the heist genre with children’s imagination and a touch of horror. What was the inspiration behind the story? More specifically, what inspired you to tell a story from a children’s perspective?
I’ve always had a rough time at the dentist, I can painfully remember countless cavities being pulled and my teeth being shaved down when I got my braces off. I was trying to make something that could incorporate that, but still feel unique and fresh to viewers. Mixing the heist genre with this film gave it a sense of adventure that I was hoping to achieve. Dealing with the fear of the dentist is such a relatable experience, especially from a child’s perspective, as I still hate it.
I can imagine how much fun it must have been on set! Can you tell us what the production process was like? What was it like to work with your leading actors who are so young but also so present and captivating on screen?
Working with kids is always fun, they bring a great energy to the set and it really helps define the shoot. The production process was great, we shot over four-days and had two-pickup days at the end. A small production anecdote relating to the kids … when I wrote this film I was inspired by my own experience back in the 90’s, however being from a different generation, these kids simply grew up differently. One big difference is they don’t know how to ride a bike! Because of this, we had to enlist the help of the parents to teach the kids how to ride bikes before our filming took place! It was such a fun, ridiculous, and memorable experience and they were sending me daily updates. Working with child actors is always very difficult as the range of experience is so wide – some are as experienced as seasoned adults while others are more green and need coaching. This script is very dialogue heavy and the pacing was very important to me, so to help the kids with their delivery I recorded and provided a line reading. The parents helped a lot with the preparation and played the recording to their kid in the car on the way to the set to help memorize it.
I understand that you had a hand in establishing the Norwalk Film Festival in your hometown–what an accomplishment! What inspired you to do this? How did it happen? And what can attendees expect to see and experience?
I helped establish the Norwalk Film Festival after a local filmmaker, Marge Costa, reached out to me. We both screened a film at a Connecticut Film Festival and decided why not have a film festival in our hometown? It’s been such a group effort to bring it to life as I’m one of several people who are involved. My big thing has always been connecting Connecticut filmmakers and strengthening our local filmmaking community. When I was growing up and aspiring to pursue filmmaking, I didn’t know where to even point my compass to get started. With the Norwalk Film Festival, we’ve connected with filmmakers from all around the state and several have even started collaborating together. It’s important to me to give the next class of aspiring filmmakers a place to get started, and I hope NFF is that local beacon for them.
HollyShorts is an incredible platform for indie filmmakers. What does it mean for you to have Operation: Cavity screen here? How will you be celebrating?
I learned on my 30th birthday that we got into HollyShots Film Festival and I was ecstatic. My family was over our house celebrating my birthday when the notification came in and we were all over the moon. This is the first time I’ve had a project in an Oscar-Qualifying fiIm festival. I flew to Hollywood for the premiere along with two of our producers, Meg Catalfamo & Paulo Araujo. It was such an awesome experience, the festival lives up to its reputation as one of the best film festivals in the world.
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
I’m currently in Norway directing a commercial campaign for The Beard Struggle. The brand revolves around Nordic mythology and the Vikings. I’ve worked with them for the past year and it actually has inspired me to start thinking of narrative films to make in the Viking realm. I know it’ll seem like quite a pivot, but I think my next project will be a Viking film.
You can follow Silvermine Productions on Facebook, Instagram @silvermineproductions, Twitter @SilvermineProds, and at www.silvermineproductions.com.
