Atonement - Film Techniques

Scale

In the opening sequence, the first thing we see is the dolls house which is a model of the real house that the first section of the movie is set in.

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Scale

Caption: : The doll house is one of the first things we see and is a model of the real house that the first section of the movie is set in.

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Caption: : The scale of the toy animals in this scene is mismatched, bringing attention to the scale of things in the shot. We then see Briony, who in this shot is extremely large, seeming like God. Animals seem to portray a Noah's Ark image.

Pattern vs. plane

The wallpaper, bed sheets and curtains around Briony are all very busy. They are extremely patterned, with large images and bold colours. This is a large contrast with Briony's dress which is a pale colour and has no pattern or images on it.Here, she is finishing off her play that she has been writing. The patterns around her represent her imagination as they are intricate and detailed, large and exciting. This highlights the contrast of the pattern to Briony's appearance which is very plane and simple. This pairs up well with the rest of the scene, as Briony is very mechanical, controlled and calculated.

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