Art and games

On to an art director and this is where things become difficult. The art director will have access to the design document as soon as its finished to gain an understanding of what game they are making. He/she will assemble a team of super artists to take on the challenge of making it the next best thing. The director will consider areas that might not be known by the games designer. Communication is an important aspect to find out where in the art world will the game develop to? He/she will then write their own document to outline the paths for the artwork and get aproval to continue production but this is a long time before the game is planned to be made. This is a very heavy role but to me it sounds eye openning, to be able to pick a direction for a game go and all the ideas come flooding in. This is where your creative mind just explodes and communicate your ideas to the art team. As well as documentation, working with a team and working on the product, to me this sounds very inviting as a career. But I'm betting it's not an easy task to become one.
The role of an art director is very similar to a film director because they have to keep in mind the style, all visual representation, the characters and how they will act, roles and responsabilities of other members of the team and storyboards which all director do. Art directors have more because they have to consider the construction of the characters including the animations and software based limitation.
I researched into how to become an art director and without stating the entire job outline. Most art directors have gained qualifications from art schools but not in all situations. They have to have a keen eye of composotion with visuals and have experience in 3d and 2d software. They provide a portfolio of their work to submit to a company to analyse. Experience in the field is essencial considering the role. Usually 3-6 years in the industry before climbing the ladder to this possition and this needs to be recorded in the shown portfolio. They need leadership skills, good communication and organization skills to be able to organise the team they will be running. Deadlines are essential so a good skill in time-keeping is a big area in this. Art directors need to be profitient in all areas . This role is similar to a concept artist but with exeptions to areas concept artists don't concentrate in. Art directors will usually start lower down the employee ladder with experience gained and skills learned depending on the specifications the companies require. Concept artists will sometimes deglect 3d work but art directors are like the role models for being concept artists.
This is not an easy feat and I can imagine some don't aim to be art directors but simply gain experience and over time develop the qualifications and qualities needed.