Sci-Fi Short Film “No-A" | DUST

Stuck right in the middle of chaos with no explanation. But no explanation is needed. Liam Murphy's No-A communicates everything we need to know about its main characters through wordless action. The end result is an empathetic and poignant short fueled by a robot’s love for its creator and its willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice to save this girl from harm.
'No-A' by Liam Murphy
#DUST #scifi #shortfilm
More About No-A:
An extraordinary display of compelling characters who grow on you in monumental strides in the span of a few minutes. No-A is a fragmented story filled with uncertainty, but there is one thing you can be sure of: you will finish this short wanting more.
Connect with Liam Murphy:
Website: www.liammurphyanimation.com
About DUST:
DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless classics to cutting-edge movies, series, short films, and podcasts, DUST acquires, produces and distributes all content types.
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About Gunpowder + Sky:
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Sci-Fi Short Film “No-A" | DUST
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[@fabled-pilgrim]

To create a mech that can illicit an emotional response from the audience in a short in which nothing is spoken is very impressive. This animator/film maker is hugely talented.

[@kathyakamimi4989]

They have a history together; she smiles upon seeing him. There is so much more to this story!!!!

[@patrickdurham8393]

She created him apparently.

[@waynethomas1726]

@@patrickdurham8393 My best guess? He was created to or assigned to protect her. I too got the impression that she knew him from "before".

[@AmikaofMan]

What many viewers/commentators seem to miss is that these are SHORT FILMS. Alot of them are complete stories unto themselves but many many of them are made shorts in hopes that they can get some buzz and some backing to make it a full length movie. Not all do, but many do in hopes that they can. I can say with great satisfaction how grateful I have been to find DUST and have probably enjoyed several hundred shorts in the last year since finding them. I give them a 98% satisfaction rating and recommend them to everyone I know. This movie was no exception. Excellent story, visuals, and sound. A+

[@born2bbald12]

I really appreciate the pure talent and hard work that goes into the DUST productions. However, in this piece of work, I have come to a single thought. It amazes me how, that in less than four minutes of developing two characters and a solid plot; of doing that in less than four minutes, and invoking such a powerful set of emotions. In less that four minutes we are brought to tears. That is truly amazing. It is a manifestation of rare talent. Thank, Liam, you for sharing that passion and talent with all of us. This is better world because of you.

[@ethanwagner6418]

It's amazing how after only a few minutes of video, I'm already rooting for a robot gorilla.

[@exposindembabylonians9974]

*LMBO*

[@DeliciousDeBlair]

This short would make an epic full feature film!

[@dkyelak]

That is true for many DUST shorts.

[@unclemikedavis4210]

Are you talking about the girl?

[@zeeroincstudios7322]

And then the shot to the head boom

[@kangooroo1]

The King-Kong feeling here is strong.

[@ashenwuss1651]

King Kong, Sleeping Beauty.

[@marcossanchez1158]

ur stupid i was gana say the

[@62novalis]

i rather think of the hunchback of Notre Dame

[@kittyqueen5137]

True 💯

[@marcossanchez1158]

@@kittyqueen5137 yuupp

[@hi.moriarty]

Instant empathy and then sadness for the hero. Thank you for fully embracing the humanity that seems to have escaped our own species.

[@winchharry]

A compassionate robot; a liberated woman, which feel safety in his strong arms; a rescue-division-scene; a final unwinnable fight against soldiers with his last resources - who is the real human... Thank you, Mr. Murphy, for that heart-warming sf-story.

[@GordyInMA]

Addictive! This needs to be expanded into a full length film!

[@dkyelak]

This is true for many DUST shorts. Glad there is a site that has all these great sci fi shorts!

[@shamgartruth1449]

Beautifully touching and without a word of dialog. Brilliant.

[@jimbaker883]

Before you down vote for lack of plot or yada, yada, yada make sure to catch everything. Things you may of missed... 1.They are in what looks like a fortress that has been overthrown, maybe an outpost. There has been a battle of some sort because the girl has ripped clothing in the pod. 2.There are four life support/detention pods on the ground, 3 of them have the covers torn from them and are empty. 3.The guard who is sneaking is actually looking for N0-A because he knows that it is the girls protector and will not stop until it is dead or she is safe. Also they have 2 guards on the ground securing the pod in case sneaky guard fails. 4. N0-A is actually N 0-4 PN 75 which is number 4 of part number 75. The number 4 has a gouge through it making it look like an A. 4 life pods, 3 torn open and empty, N0-4 for person 4. The girl is familiar with N0-A and seems comforted in his arms. 5.The soldiers are not human they are machines. You can tell this because after the sniper shot the glowing eye goes out then it "dies". Not to mention no human could get smashed by a machine that big and live. 6. It is a city N0-A sees in the distance and places the girl on the elevator to get her there, in effect saving her. And the last little tidbit is my own thought that NO-A is actually a portrayal of Noah. Noah saves humanity from Gods reversal of creation (the flood) and N0-A saves humanity from the robots reversal of creation. That's a lot of story in just 4 mins.

[@OliverdelaRosa]

Wonderful analysis

[@mensfrigus]

Thank you! I love when people engage and give deep analysis like yours. I have some comments though. 1. The fortress you mentioned I think it too big and complex to be just an outpost. For me, it seems more like the outside of a huge, old but still working (got-like) wall. I would bet that the girl's clothes are ripped from a long journey through those mountains (appeared in the first shot) and that post-apocalyptical desert, rather than from a battle. 2. I only counted three pods. 3. Here I agree, soldiers may also be looking the other companions (two empty pods) 4. I agree with the girl and NO-A know each other, you can tell there is an affect bond for the sadness in the girl's face when discovers NO-A wounded. NO-4 was given the name NO-A by humans. Why 75? if you look into Genesis 7:5 it says "And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." :O NO-A has a mission! 5. I disagree, their movements are too organic and have flexible tactical suits. My guess is that they are like the defenders of the wall (like got's night watch). Maybe they collect invaders in life-supporting pods to make experiments. 6. The city you mentioned is what lies beyond the wall, NO-A faces the wall defenders with its last strenghts to make sure the girl gets there.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Guess what goes for a still photo also applies to short film: "If a caption is needed, it's not composed well enough"...

[@DeliciousDeBlair]

You are VERY astute and read into stuff deeply! (~_^)-b After looking back i can see how much I missed... How many times did watch it before you picked that all up? I would have probably had to have watched it 12 times or more to gather all of that data!

[@vveet]

also, who can dislike a robot gorillas love for his little girl! the ending had me tearing up

[@bassmith448bassist5]

Would like to see this story more fully developed. This has a lot of potential. The visuals were very good, the emotional pull was very strong. Well done!!!!

[@irontongue5389]

Mecha King Kong, only this time, he descends the tower instead of climbing it!

[@clydebalcom8252]

Please, Sir. I want more. It's genius and a beautiful story.

[@4kdemoscene]

60 seconds in, and I can tell this is a good Sci-Fi short, keep up the good work DUST...

[@youarenotmygoal4890]

"dust" is the best youtube channel what i had ever watched. there is so many wonderful short movie. I so pleased. thank you

[@garicrewsen1128]

Seen this one several times, but no where near this beautifully rendered. I'm not sure what it is you're doing differently, but videos of this calibre ought not be allowed to be shown in anything less than all their glory. Dust really does the creators as well as sci-fi fans, serious justice. Would love for Dust to republish "ROSA" and a few others (names escaping me atm) that deserve to be Dusted. Break a leg!

[@JMDofficialpage]

that robot is the truest of heroes.

[@kingofmetal1961]

AMAZING, FANTASTIC, OUTSTANDING! FINALLY A SHORT FILM THAT CAPTURES THE TRUE ESSENCE OF A SHORT FILM. THANK YOU!

[@EndingTimes0]

These guys really need to invest in some armor piercing bullets.

[@guardrailbiter]

I say we dust off and nuke the site from orbit..... It's the only way to be sure.

[@jameslarrabee2873]

dust uses so munch shock value., and it pretty much makes my jaw drop every time

[@tanyaj3988]

Damn... you made me tear-up. I want to see the rest of the story.

[@ginoh7833]

this was downright excellent! wish they had another part to add to this tale!

[@mynameisgladiator1933]

I just wish they'd stop plagiarizing.

[@BlackHatCinephile]

@@mynameisgladiator1933 Everything is based on everything before. Whatever you think this was based on, that thing was also based on something that was based on something ...

[@marktwaine9344]

@@BlackHatCinephile legends and stories are the true immortals....

[@BlackHatCinephile]

@@marktwaine9344 Yep

[@billyandrew]

I've watched this a few times, since first seeing it and am always pleasantly surprised, when it turns up in my feed.

[@wadepage7809]

Bravo! Too short. MORE, MORE of this character please!

[@RichardDominguezTheMagicIsReal]

through and through a love story, wonderful, thanks for the upload

[@rickhibdon11]

It amazes me that a handful of talented people can create movies that equal and in many cases, surpass multi million dollar studio extravaganzas! Very nice work. Thank you.

[@mvdeehan]

Loving these short stories! Perfect for lunchtime!

[@patrickthorpe6428]

"Your future is DUST!" Very prophetic!

[@MetalizedButt]

Bumblebee meets King-Kong. And it’s awesome.

[@annelisemeier283]

They killed Robo-Harambe ...

[@Grimsowerart]

Annelise Meier harmbot

[@Grimsowerart]

Harambot*

[@kevindavis5966]

USB's out for Harambot.

[@NightBazaar]

Guard: "It's gone rogue. Gotta put it down!"

[@josephfelice8308]

DOFRH

[@vasocreta]

the allusion to King Kong was brilliantly presented. Loved it.

[@dominickefrim3088]

💔 after a few years i still love this short.

[@thedevereauxbunch]

Ending is perfect. Couldn’t have picked a better one. While thing was fantastic but I especially appreciated that choice.

[@user-td1zo3tv9p]

One of the BEST and most realistic CGI compilations to create a movie I have seen to date!! Congratulations, keep up the EXCELLENT work and I look forward to seeing much, MUCH, More!! Overnout

[@benjaminlott5632]

This is the best channel on KZbin,,, can't believe it took me this long to run across it.....

[@raedgaj3878]

Well thought out storyline with true empathy for the characters as the story unfolds, I really like that idea of no dialogue also, as this left a lot to interpretation which kept me engaged throughout, thank you, I'd love to see more.

[@billmar6401]

That was very moving! Excellent work!

[@earthorigins3509]

One of the better Sci-Fi films made by DUST..!

[@crgbishfish7780]

at 3:50 when he looks up there is this slight little wobble in his head...it was the moment I started to cry...wow

[@marklacey6614]

A future King Kong in 5 minutes. Well done.

[@irfanimp]

Liric,Heroic and perfect...

[@jasonkemp4571]

That was so cool! I want to see more of the story.

[@HankJW7]

It remind me half life 2, we have D.O.G., we have Alyx and we have Combines

[@devilmaycry8909]

NightShade My thoughts exactly.

[@Pentakill33]

i think it IS half life 2 i mean even the tower the Robot is in and the other buildings are looking like it

[@grahamdavies8924]

Yeah. Derivative; not original.

[@BradfordGuy]

@@grahamdavies8924 Nah, I think original; not enough similarities to HL2.

[@dkyelak]

Agree! It reminded of the part where they got separated after playing fetch with the gravity gun.

[@alfredjonathankwak955]

This is just like Half Life 2 1: Cinidel 2: Alex 3: Dog 4: Combine 5: Dropships

[@michaelstrodick1769]

I also thought of Half Life 2.

[@paulaclarke3421]

So good. I wanted more, like a start to a great tale. Good work.

[@heatmizer-jim6762]

I was thinking along the lines of the back-story, up to the point where the robo-hero gets to the last inhabited pod. Was the robot responsible for saving the others? Why were they guarding them?

[@ValJonesDaO]

My favorite Father's Day video.

[@lanimcdonald6935]

I knew you were going to make me cry!

[@BradfordGuy]

Excellent storytelling via the viewers' emotions! You can tell that the robot had at one time, maybe been human, and the heroin had been in a relationship of some kind; a partner, a brother or sister, who knows? The powers in control are trying to control her, or use her to do their bidding. A story of love, of loyalty, and sacrifice. EXCELLENT!!! I have to applaud the folks that put in the time to create *_real pieces of art like this._* Something I would love to do, but I am too old, do not have the skills, the patience or the creativity it takes. So, I immerse myself into these productions, and like a child, imagine... almost as if being there amidst the danger - a third person watching the story, from within it.

[@gavgene371]

Brilliant , would love a feature length film

[@tangobango9653]

WIW! The ‘Gorilla Robot’ is very cool. This short is kinda like a futuristic King Kong!

[@aleeburitz7310]

That was great. Ty!

[@wakidtanvir9663]

That is one very emotional robot.......😥

[@ManOnBass]

What ever it is, it's beautiful.

[@rossharvey1803]

Nice! I see where your going with this! Thank you!

[@edwardgerson4504]

Fantastic Brilliant work

[@robinhicks7218]

verygood I hope there's more in the future. everything about it was excellent. I also like the ending the most.

[@tonycarver2745]

well i guess this means my next 2 weeks are TOAST. i cant stop watching these. so many people are asking for a full length versions of these but i think that would hurt the genre. we would end up with long convos between characters, interspersed with commercials for some bladder leakage product. i like the fact that these are...shortish... and leaves a lot up to the viewer to use their noggin instead of being spoon fed star trek shit where it's all dumbed down to satisfy the lowest common denominator. IMHO

[@TheTech660]

Btw... I'm tear jerking.... Great Story. Please Continue this!

[@crabbycreates2943]

Excellent! I want more.

[@luke769animations]

Yay he’s alive!

[@krugerherman]

Love love love! Oh sooo good!!! xxx

[@combatmako]

Finally, a Story ! ✌️❤️😁

[@0000syuable]

前にも観ていましたが、気づかずにまた観てしまいました。 それゆえ、「報われないロボットの愛」テーマが私は好きなのだろうと思います。

[@PNQuinn]

Great job! More please . . .

[@colinp2238]

It is more like a clip or a trailer and leaves you wanting more.

[@redlupo6193]

Never said it before, but Kickstart this marvel and I'll gladly kick IN!

[@KenanOlivier]

Great humanisation of the Robot! I was totally involved :-)

[@UAMAK777]

Loved it!

[@albertchehade9916]

Gotta love that...."Your future is Dust"......so true.....Star Dust........

[@YashuCosGaming]

one can make a tv series over this 5 min content..fkin awesome work

[@debraj.thomas661]

Watched before....still waiting for the sequel!!!

[@cartoonking461]

Very nicely done short.

[@Dodzon2010]

Fantastic!!

[@rodneytruitt9566]

Very well done!!

[@peanutbutter2597]

Brilliant !!! Just brilliant no if's about it

[@idrissiidrissi3161]

Plus attachant que king gong ! Ce gros tas de feraille avec ce regard bleu et doux C'est merveilleux

[@joshmcneil1086]

Oh, how I love Dust.

[@waynemyers2469]

It's odd that the first time I watched this I could have sworn there had been dialogue, it left such a powerful impression on me and I had the completely erroneous memory of the premise being established through a conversation, I was wrong about that. Then, as things started coming back to me, I still kept looking to the machines face for expressions that never came, it's only slightly anthropomorphic features remained relatively free of emotion, static and machine-neutral. It had been over two years since I'd originally watched the video and so much had happened in the interim: The pandemic, Jan. 6th, the Afghanistan withdrawal and, more recently, the war in Ukraine and any clear memories of the film had been entombed beneath the weight of my own despair and lack of faith and my near surrender to the spirit of fear that had been set loose in the world. Then, after having his cybernetic brains blown out of his head, No-A miraculously reanimated himself and rushed the woman towards the building housing the lift and the memory resolved itself and thrust me, fully aware now, into the last moments of the tale and as No-A turned to face his adversaries I grinned and nodded just as I had the first time I watched the short but gorgeous tale and fell in love with the idea of illustrating the devotion of the machine-man to the woman, not by his words or his expressions but purely by his actions. Because, as we surely must know but often forget, action is the truest and purest expression of friendship that there is.

[@juancarlosnunez795]

Extraordinaire......!

[@niccibarlow70]

Love love love this one ❤️

[@PumpkinJack88]

I want a full length, 2 to 3 hour movie. Would love to see it in theaters.

[@oldblinddarby2498]

This was like a video game cut scene taken out of context, no real story included at all. No idea what this was about, but with a little more budget it could've looked really cool. The animation was well executed, just a little dated looking, but far better than i could've ever pulled off. If they had developed their concept a bit further, included a bit of exposition maybe, this would've been 100% better. The addition of only one minute of story could've finished this and they would have created a true short film. As it stands, It's like i watched a scene from a game I've never played.

[@tommercer6273]

Sometimes, it’s okay to have a happy ending.

[@connermt74]

Not as good as others in regards to cgi but a much, much better story with the ability to draw empathy from the viewer more than most other shorts I’ve seen. That alone would bring me back for more 👍🏻

[@allisongarcia6055]

This is sad, but very beautiful.

[@noname-lq2kg]

The robot may have been down, but not out. He said to himself, "one last can of whoop ass to open up!"

[@serbubogdan3284]

This is in the vein of King Kong if the great ape was a mech. The underlying story is there, they just re-adapted it for the required sci-fi setting and a fine job they did 👍

[@kangatharin9684]

Superb. Need more

[@sampien9811]

This was.... EPIC

[@alexandrebruce8344]

Very good!!!

[@johnrettig1880]

This sort of reminds me of the movie " Mighty Joe Young " When a young girl in a African Reserve raises a baby Silver Back

[@hellojari07]

great work

[@WildBillCox13]

Beautiful.

[@DavidGutierrez-nt7ov]

Heartfelt ❤️

[@Exciteduser]

Good story. Well executed.

[@rcsmerge]

Not a single word spoken and an emotionally compelling piece

[@Pablobw]

Was there never a continuation to this story? That would be a shame! DUST - Do something about that, please.

[@C99631]

Cool. Lovely to look at.

[@lonewolf8271]

Excellent!