Hello, my name is Martin Klekner, and I’m a cinematic director & CG tutor.
I’ve always been a fan of history, cinematic storytelling and digital graphics. And after playing my favourite movies on a loop for years, I finally decided to study film direction.
That decision brought me to Prague, where I worked in a few visual effects companies. Later, as a freelancer, I took part in several projects set in the Middle Ages. One of them was the RPG game “Kingdom Come Deliverance”, where I took on the role of cinematic director.
All these experiences taught me a lot, but I always felt like I needed my own thing. To build my own world. I left the game industry and started to sell courses to teach others how to make their CG dreams a reality. And not only theirs: it was time to develop my own project.
I loved ancient Greece ever since I was a child, but besides “300” and “Alexander”, there were not many movies about it. So I decided to make one myself. Or even better: to create an entire world connected to the fascinating events of the Greco-Persian Wars.
With “Heroes of Bronze” I am trying to build a whole story universe set in ancient Greece. It started with a short movie released at the beginning of 2023, and it will continue with a series of novels covering the story of Nikephoros, an Athenian trader involved in the Ionian Revolt and the first Greco-Persian War (5th century BC), and his son Alkaios. The first of these will be published in late 2023.
Lastly, the final goal is to create a TV series. But, of course, that is demanding dream that will require a lot of time, effort and financing…
Demanding? Ambitious? Too much for a single person? Maybe, but nothing good ever comes easy. Since the project will last for many years I made plans to handle its many stages. Also, throughout the creation process, I’ll document my workflow and share new tutorials, which you can find on YouTube (for free) and Patreon (for my supporters).
Why Patreon?
The plan is for the project to become bigger and bigger, and gradually I’ll aim to expand the team. To increase the quality of videos and books, and speed up the release of new tutorials and stories, you can support me in many ways. You can buy a course, become a Patron or make a donation. Every option you choose will allow the project to take one step forward, towards recreating the epic past of ancient civilisations…