James Oxford creates digital concept illustrations for hit movies.

Photos courtesy of James Oxford.

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Making Movie Magic

James Oxford talks about helping filmmakers visually translate a script to the big screen

September 2012

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

James Oxford: I am a concept illustrator. I come up with the ideas for how the interior or exterior setting in a movie scene should look. I’ve worked on Men in Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, X-Men 2, and more.

James Oxford

SA: How do you express your concepts?

JO: I create a digital representation of the setting. My image is then used as the basis for building the sets for a movie. Sometimes I come up with a concept from scratch and the set is built on a stage. Other times, the filmmaker has a location in mind, and I create a concept that fits the location.

SA: How do you get started on an idea?

JO: First, I speak with the director and production designer for the film. We talk about what’s going to happen in the scene and what it should look like. I also get reference materials from the prop master and the costume designer. Finally, I read the script, looking for key words to guide my ideas and get to work.

SA: What skills do you need for your job?

JO: Everything today is done digitally, so you need to know digital illustration programs, especially 3-D programs. But you should also know how to paint and draw if you want to use the digital tools to their greatest effect.

SA: How did you break into the industry?

JO: I had many friends in movies, and I was very persistent. I just kept talking to people until I got a job. It was really cool to see the result of my work on screen for the first time. But I didn’t know I had made it until I got a job working for Steven Spielberg.
I have worked on three of his movies! But I always knew I had talent and could be successful if I worked at it.

SA: What is the best part of your job?

JO: I really enjoy what I do. Plus, I get to live in a different world every day—anything from feudal Japan to a futuristic world depending on what I’m creating.

Career Profile

Concept Illustrator

Salary:

First-year concept illustrators make an average of $35,000 a year, depending on how many assignments they receive.

 

Education:

Most concept illustrators have a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or a related field, such as graphic design or theatrical set design.

 

Getting Started:

  • Learn 3-D. Familiarize yourself with 3-D-illustration software programs.
  • Don’t forget the basics. Take plenty of drawing and painting classes.
  • Try it out. Read a movie or play script and create an illustration of one of the settings in it.
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