LBB Film Club: Noah's Belt

‘Noah’s Belt’ is a sci-fi short film directed by Pomp&Clout executive producer and director Kevin Staake. Produced with the help of VFX studio Mathematic, using Unreal Engine and motion capture technology, it explores themes of conflict, cultural exchange and autonomy, through a story of two prisoners from opposing nations who share a cell in a prison that orbits Earth. As their homelands declare nuclear war on the planet below, the cellmates Paul and Dima (played by Aidan Bristow and Nikolai Nikolaeff) have to evaluate their shared humanity and trust, their national allegiances, and self determination.

Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, Kevin discusses how he wrote and directed the film, which was funded through Epic Games’ Mega Grant, and how the piece reflects the increasingly fractured world he was watching develop throughout production.

LBB> You wrote this script during the 2020 Presidential election - can you tell us about the feelings and ideas that went into that process?

Kevin> I was ideating a lot about ‘Civil War 2’ in the US because it was literally being threatened by more radical communities. I considered if I should get a firearm licence and purchase a gun, just in case - as if that would be enough. It became an ever-present consideration; what it would be like to be at war with my fellow Americans, for me to fear them, for them to fear me. This is when the Cold War aspect of ‘Noah’s Belt’ turned into a civil war. 

LBB> Since then, we’ve seen conflict and division only heighten across the world - what do you think people can learn from the film? 

Kevin> I hate to sum it up as ‘can’t we all just get along?’, but at its core, that’s what it’s about. It’s about the control we forget we have as individuals, that we don’t have to blindly follow a party or leader. We don’t need their approval to treat each other as what we are at our core: human beings. And at this point, we need to be united more than ever. 

LBB> You also directed the film - firstly, how was the casting process? Why were Aidan Bristow and Nikolai Nikolaeff the ideal people to work with?

Kevin> Casting was tough. There were many great auditions. Nikolai and Aidan’s extensive experience in motion capture in massive video games and shows drew me to them. When you’re doing something for the first time (as I was), I believe you should surround yourself with the least amount of ‘first-timers’. Beyond that, Aidan had this really welcoming, innocent, boyish feeling coming through in his audition that was perfect for Paul. And Nikolai had this older, brooding, beaten, furrowed brow approach that fit Dima just right. We loosely referred to them as ‘the puppy and the old dog’ on set. That simple phrase regrounded us in their contrasting characters.

[Above: Kevin (middle) with Aidan Bristow and Nikolai Nikolaeff]

LBB> You and Mathematic used Unreal Engine and motion capture tech to create the visuals - how does a mo-cap actor become the final visual we see in the film?

Kevin> We started designing the look of Paul and Dima in MetaHuman [Unreal Engine’s digital human creation software]. I wanted Paul to look more shaven, baby-faced, and American, whereas Dima would be bearded, grizzled, and slightly Russian. It got into meticulously moulding the slope of their noses, for example. Upturned or downturned? Straight or button? We went into motion capturing without finished characters, but instead had grayscale mummy-ish looking figures which provided all we needed for framing and blocking, making sure they weren’t walking through digital walls or furniture. 

After capturing, Mathematic did all the labour to bring the characters to life. One cut would be grayscale, the next in colour, the next with lighting, next with texture, then freckles and wrinkles, and so on, till the final look.

LBB> How involved were you with the model/set design of the characters and their environment? What little details do you like the most about the designs? And are there any Easter eggs hidden in there?

Kevin> I was very involved in the engineering of ‘Noah’s Belt’. I did drawings of the exterior structure, the 100 capsules, window and door placements, etc. I wanted the facility to look used and old, from a previous generation, like when you get on an old aeroplane and it’s sort of faded and yellowish, with some ashtrays from a time long passed. 

For the interior, I made a floor plan of the dimensions and where all the items would be, like designing an apartment layout. It was obvious in my head. I just saw it. Then Mathematic did an amazing job giving the structure all these little details: panelling, antennae, rivets, messy discarded items like books and soda cans, etc. Things I never considered. 

As mentioned, I had a specific goal for the faces of Paul and Dima, but for their bodies, we wanted Paul a bit more athletic (golfer) and Dima more thin with a slight belly (artist). We went through a series of options for wardrobe, but mainly Paul needed accents of blue and Dima accents of red. I drew the patches, Paul’s being the bald eagle within a star, and Dima’s being a bear within a circle. These are the national animals of the United States and Russia, intended to lead the viewer to assume Cold War conflict. 

The best Easter egg is that Paul’s uniform number is the date of the insurrection in the United States, and Dima’s is the date Russia invaded Ukraine. They don’t matter to the story, but whenever there’s an option to put meaning behind something, I feel it should be done, rather than randomised. I think it’s more for practice and diligence, to get in the habit of always thinking with intention and motivation. 

LBB> What are some of the more difficult aspects of working with this production pipeline? And how much do new Unreal Engine capabilities and other techniques help with these?

Kevin> If this were made in live action, pre production would've been much longer and post production would’ve been much shorter. Production would’ve been about the same. I would say the benefit of Unreal Engine is the malleability once you’ve captured it. There remains a lot of freedom that can’t be said for live action. 

The most difficult aspect was honestly the distance and time zone difference between myself in Los Angeles and the work being done at Mathematic in Paris. We had short windows for review and discussion each day. Next time, I would insist on being physically where the post is being done. 

LBB> Equally, what does this production process allow you to do, which you couldn’t achieve with other CGI/animation styles, or with live action?

Kevin> The main value is you don’t have to decide framing before shooting or even during shooting. We had live action cameras set up around to get ideas, and to closely observe the truest performance, but that was just for reference. With Unreal, you can push through walls and windows, shoot from above the ceiling or below the floor. One of my favourite shots is pushing through the capsule window and literally entering the story. If we were to try that in live action, we’d have to probably cut out a panel of the set for the camera to enter, put it on a slider or Dana Dolly, rehearse the move multiple times, break for lunch, and then come back to shoot it. We’d then be stuck with what we got in each take. With Unreal, we could adjust the speed ramp, the thickness of the glass pane, and much more in post. 

LBB> 17 minutes is quite brief, but you manage to establish the two mysterious characters, and show suspense, paranoia, tender moments and more between them - as well as tell the story of what’s happening down on earth. How did you find this balance with the short runtime?

Kevin> I mostly write features, so I mostly think in terms of a three-act structure. People say telling a story in a short is so hard - which it can be, depending on the story - but it doesn’t have to be. I just treated ‘Noah’s Belt’ as a 17-minute feature, but instead of having 30 pages for act one, you have five or six. 

Early on, there’s a ‘whisper of death’, and suspicious questions are raised. And before act two, we hear tensions are growing back on Earth, entering us into a new world of potential war with these two on opposing sides. At the midpoint, Dima reveals the twist/secret that they don’t control the panel, or anything else for that matter. Then, leaving act two and entering act three, we have the actual nuclear war breaking out and the call to action with stakes raising to the highest point for Paul and Dima. The rest is a nightmare, a boiling confrontation, a resolution, and the end. 

I think many short films are one-note, so I wanted to try making a more traditional, truncated, movie. I also wanted to use the short as an opportunity to show I can make a feature. 

LBB> The orbiting prison reflects the situation on earth, especially with imagery like the chess game ending in a stalemate. What were some of your favourite shots or scenes that explore this?

Kevin> Chess was always a core part. At one point, the short was called ‘Stalemate’ but that felt too on-the-nose, and forecasted the ending. It was written with these chess scenes interspersed between plot driving scenes, on a separate timeline. It worked well in the script, but somehow not in the film, so we changed it. I love the close-ups of the chess moves, the texture of the wood, the fingers interacting with them so naturally. I also love the final scene in which we dolly across the chess pieces in the foreground while Paul and Dima confess in the background. It further conveys that these men are just pawns. It’s a brilliant visual allegory that I credit to Mathematic. 

One more Easter egg… The game they’re playing is a replica of a game played in Vienna in 1898 between Amos Burn (50, British) and Harry Nelson Pillsbury (26, American). I wanted to show a very obvious stalemate, and loved the symbolism of the only thing standing between two kings being a pawn. The fact that the real game was also played by a young puppy and an old dog didn’t hurt either. Again, I’m ever-compelled to inject meaning, purpose and clues wherever it can work. 

LBB> How do you hope people come away from this film? And do you have plans for another long-form project in the future?

Kevin> I hope people come away from this film with more compassion for whoever they consider their ‘enemy’, and to be reminded we’re all in this together, sharing similar morals, values, habits, concerns and fears. A short isn’t going to change the world, but if anyone watches ‘Noah’s Belt’ and takes the sentiment into their next interaction or conflict, that’s enough for me. 

As for the future, I have multiple narrative shorts and documentary shorts I want to make. One of them would be in Unreal again. I also have some finished features I’m pitching and a couple more in development. It’s full steam ahead!