Hi
@elianebeck! Time for a little impromptu Concept Art lesson.
The main job of a concept artist is to design and draw things that will eventually be in the film. Take someone's idea for a place or a character or an object, and sketch different ideas for what that could look like. Someone high up in the hierarchy of the production will tell you what they want, usually through a mixture of briefings and sending you reference images of the style or specific aspects that they want. Your job is to explore that idea and get back to them with
concepts. Art that puts a visual to the words. Both animated and live action movies need concept art, as well as larger-scale TV series and advertisements.
Here's an example.
Ralph McQuarrie's famous concept art for the first Star Wars movies! Before we had Darth Vader, the most iconic movie villain of all time, we had a description. A tall, dark, evil space-samurai with a mask. Ralph McQuarrie took this description and designed the look we all know to this day. He also influenced the look of the entire original trilogy a lot, designing many beloved aliens, droids, and locales. If you've ever seen Star Wars, I'm sure you'll be able to see how much his art influenced the look of the final movie!
This is just a quick run-down, but I will also link you to the
ScreenSkills page on Concept Artists, which is a comprehensive guide on what they do, how to get hired as one, how much it pays and much more.
Hope this helps! I am happy to explain anything else if needed.
Rohnak Escape Studios Student Rep