The Colours of Atonement

Director: Joe Wright
Director of photography: Seamus McGarvey
Production designer: Sarah Greenwood

Atonement is one of my favourite films. The story is told in such way that makes it highly dramatic and beautiful. I love the stylised use of colour in this film and the way the costumes of the actors complement and contrast with the set. I also really like the use of sound and editing that echoes Briony’s typewriter, giving rythme to the film.

Here are some of my favourite shots with some comments on their design and the effect it creates.

The long shot in Dunkirk is absolutely beautiful and the sound adds another layer to it, blending voices, footsteps, gunshots and soldiers singing with the music, which gives it a dramatic and surreal feel. In Production Design, Sarah Greenwood explains how they used decayed pastel colours and brought in the Ferris wheel to give the sequence a surreal, Bruegel-esque quality.

You can read more about the Production Design of Atonement here.