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THE TOWERS OF MARS, An Animated Short By Kurt Metz, Animator:
Story Behind the Project:
My first exposure to "John Carter of Mars" was through the iconic Frank Frazetta paintings and illustrations and the Marvel Comic books of the late '70s. It was thirty years later while attending college that I was reintroduced to the character. On the recommendation from a trusted friend, I picked up and read the first three books (A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, Warlord of Mars) and I was forever hooked on these amazing adventures.
By the middle of the second book, I was beginning to produce concept sketches of the characters and places that were being described to me with in the covers of the tomes.
A few months later while reading Llana of Gathol, (book 10) I began working with 3D-animation software (3dMax). During the "intermediate 3D" course, we were instructed to produce 30 seconds of character animation. I immediately chose Barsoom as my location and my subject a Thark warrior. This 30-second piece of animation presented a praying Green Man warrior on a high stone ledge, silhouetted by tow moons of Barsoom. He raises his sword to whatever god he prays to, then leaps off to battle some unseen foe. I titled it "War Prayer of Mars."
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As I was reading the final books of this spectacular series, I was also entering my final months at school. For my graduation demo reel I chose Barsoom as my setting once again. This project would be much more ambitious, it would be 90 seconds long. Containing music, sound effects, voice-overs, environments, props, two patrol boats, one personal flyer and two animated characters (A red skinned princess, and a white skinned warrior). The entire project took a little over nine months to produce and I was greatly pleased with the final result. I titled it "The Towers of Mars."
The story follows a dashing hero on a quest to liberate his beloved Princess from a prison chamber located at the top of an immense tower deep in the heart of an enemy city.
I hope the fans of Mister Burroughs' Martian adventures find it both entertaining and exciting.
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SMALL
56K Dialup
(160x120)
626 Kbytes
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MEDIUM
256Kb DSL
(320x240)
2.8 Mbytes
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LARGE
512Kb DSL
(320x240)
5.6 Mbytes
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College and Career:
I've spent the better part of my adult life pursuing a career as a Panthan of Illustration and Design. I've attended two art colleges: one in New Jersey. At the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts, where I learned the core of my craft and the other in Chicago, during the early years of the twenty-first century where I obtained my Bachelors Degree in Computer Animation.
I've had a fairly successful 20-year career as a cartoonist and illustrator but would like to now advance on to something a little larger. My hope is to work in feature films or television as a pre-production designer, character designer or animator. If providence provides it would be a great honor to work on the projected John Carter movie under development by Kerry Conran, which is slated for release in 2006.
Personal:
I was born in the heartland of Nowhere USA during the chaos of the sixties.
I lived an unremarkable childhood in a middle class family on the fringes of Suburbia.
I have an interest in history -- especially eighteenth century American history.
I enjoy many forms of music but find myself drawn to what is referred to as New Age or Electronica.
I am the proud husband to a beautiful Princess of my own. I laid my sword at her feet over ten years ago, and I have had adventure after adventure since. We are the proud parents of two spoiled-rotten cats.
Kurt Metz
347 North Kenyon St.
Indianapolis, IndianaÊÊ 46219
Phone: 317.356.4032
buckaroo01@msn.com
Vist Kurtz Website at www.kurtmetz.com
"ERB Images and Tarzan® are ©Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.- All Rights Reserved. Trademarks JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS ~ BARSOOM ~ TARZAN and all associated characters and their distinctive likenesses are owned by ERB, Inc."
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