Blog

Updated July 9, 2017

Every week for the last six seasons, viewers have been invited to take part in the intrigue, the drama, and the humor of Game of Thrones. Some wonder how the show captures and immerses the audience so completely, and the reason is actually simple: high quality cinematography. One of the greatest achievements of Game of Thrones is its incredible scale. The viewers feel the immensity of the mountains, the intensity of a dragon’s flame, and feel the darkness that creeps inside the characters. It is all made possible by the remarkable team of cinematographers. This epic television series relies on the work of the cinematographers at various locations to pull off the illusion. According to the American Society of Cinematographers, these men and women behind the scenes have been crucial to the success of the show.

Now, cinematography is more complex than just mastering how to use the camera. The deliberate use of certain camera angles, lighting, and color filters used by the cinematographers breathe life into each episode of the show. The cinematographers create a consistent look for each season, create the images that will tell the story, and set the tone for each scene. Cinematography is what is in each shot, each frame, and each scene that moves the story forward while keeping viewers believing that they really are in Westeros.

According to Vancouver cinematographer, Rob McLachlan, a great deal of attention is invested in the cinematography for Game of Thrones. He said he has taken amazing shots of beautiful subjects over the years; but the sets for Game of Thrones took his breath away and inspired him to create “something special.”

That something special was the “Red Wedding” episode. Game of Thrones fans are still talking about season four’s shocking and controversial Rains of Castamere episode. [Spoiler Alert] Viewers sat in disbelief as everyone’s hero Robb Stark, his pregnant bride, Talisa, and matriarch, Catelyn Stark, were viciously murdered at a wedding banquet.

McLachlan indicated that the “wedding banquet scene posed several technical and creative challenges,” but he “wanted to put viewers at ease by the time the banquet was in full swing.” He was determined to have the audience convinced “they were getting the happy ending they were hoping for and not see anything coming, so that when the rug was pulled out they would go down all the harder.”

So how do you design your story on your eCommerce site?

Hopefully, your answer begins with high quality product images as they could be considered the single most important design aspect of any eCommerce website. Just as Game of Thrones utilizes cinematography to lure viewers in and keep them hooked, your eCommerce site should be producing high quality product images to tell the story words just can’t accomplish. When potential customers come to your site, there is no way for them to touch, hold, smell, taste, or handle the products they are interested in. These potential customers rely on your images for interaction.

In today’s fast paced world, anyone can take a great picture with a smart phone and begin to tell a story. However, to make your story unique and your products stand out, smart phones are not the best choice.  Just about any product may look fantastic in a photo taken by a smart phone.Nonetheless, the way you present your products online impacts your sales and amateur-looking product images can impact your reputation, destroy your consumers’ trust, and send them to your competitors.

Product presentation tells your story in a way that words fail and is the backbone to building customer loyalty and generating sales. Betsy Emery, CEO of TELLUS, says “consistency and quality of product images directly impact conversion rate.” When shopping online, consumers want to see exactly what they are purchasing. Of course, the best way to ensure your images are high-quality is to hire a professional photographer because in a professional studio proper set-up and lighting can be ensured.

I have heard people say a professional photographer is not worth the expense; however, in my opinion, pictures are worth more than just a thousand words. On an eCommerce site, a picture is the key to conversion. The average person is not going to buy something they cannot see and the only way to see your product correctly is to provide customers with high quality images.

Although I am not a photographer, I am an online shopper so here are three tips to help you get the average customer to buy your product:

• Keep images rich and clear so your customers develop a relationship with your product
• Online shoppers lack patience. You can’t afford to keep them waiting. Make sure your images load in a snap!
• Display your products from all angles and in actual use. Remember that products have more than one dimension and if your product is one that people hold or wear, try adding an image of the product in motion.

The time that you put into creating high quality product images for your website will pay off. The better the quality of your images the better your chance of making the sale!

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