Significance of Sound (Atonement)

I personally found this movie to be quite a let down (plot wise), I was about a quarter of the way into the movie when I thought of turning it off. However, what prevented me from doing this was the interesting use of Mise-en-Scene, Shots and Sound. Despite the unbelievably depressing story line, my eyes were captivated by the methods the Director (Joe Wright) and co used to portray this story. The sound was a large part of this portrayal, and arguably for me- the most successful. 

Throughout the entire movie, the sound and various other factors presented this theme of motion; in the sense that, every time an event occurred which would later result to be the cause of the unfortunate future of these characters, the background music began to play. It would always begin softly by that one recurring note, then two layers could be heard and it built up until you heard this polyphonic texture of musical sounds, resembling a wheel spinning faster and faster- spinning the fates of the characters into reality as a result of small mistaken actions. A motion which could not be stopped or undone.
Another interesting use of sound was the typewriter, which comes back in snippets at certain parts of the movie. It is fist evident in the beginning of the movie.
Before I launch into further explanation of my two points- I decided to make a list of all the introductory sounds only within the first two minutes of the film, which you may compare to the link of the clip below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqjEXD0T5Lo   - Part 1

Atonement: Initial Sounds
-Nature sounds (birds etc...) Diagetic
-Typewriter (being wound up) Diagetic
- " "
- Typewriter typing, in sync with letters of movie title appearing on the screen Diagetic
- After establishing shot, the direction from which the typewriter sound is coming changes. As camera approaches the typewriter, sound grows louder to the same level of volume to what we heard in the opening credits. Diagetic
- Nature sounds continue- buzzing of a wasp singled out from those sounds Diagetic
- Music begins- single reccuring note, all other sounds continue Non- Diagetic music
- Page is pulled out from typewriter, and placed in a folder Diagetic - 2 musical layers are now heard Non- Diagetic
- From now on the musical layers build up, entwining with typewriter sounds to provide a rhythm.
(analysed until 2:01 mins in the clip)

These sounds not only support the reality of what is occurring in the visual frames we see before us, but also can foreshadow the future of what will occur in the story- only to be evident once the film is finished.
For example:

•    The typewriter sound is used (as I have already said) in certain parts throughout the entire film. The first we hear of it, is when the typing sounds are in sync with the letters of the title appearing on the screen. At the very end of the movie we discover that the little girl (Bryony) has been driven to write the truth about the events that happened during that summer onward as a result of guilt, through the medium of a book. This book is entitled "Atonement". When the sounds are typing out the title in the initial two minutes of the film, this could reflect Bryony beginning to write her novel. And as the typewriter sounds return throughout the movie, this could also reflect the events being written into her book as we see them happening on screen.
• We hear the sound of a wasp, buzzing against the window in the room, in the initial two minutes of the film also. This wasp sound is heard again at around 6: 18/6:19 mins into the clip above. The sound attracts Bryony's attention to the window, causing her to see something which she understands in the wrong way- this is one of the misunderstandings that causes an unfortunate future for both the characters seen by Bryony, later causing Bryony to feel guilty for her childish mistake. 
• Finally, as I have mentioned before;the polyphonic musical theme repeats itself along with the typewriter throughout certain parts in the movie. This presents the theme of motion as a means of reflecting the fates of the characters being constantly altered for the worse as a result of misconception. It presents the course of fate to be unstoppable through the theme of motion, only constantly progressing and spinning faster and faster into reality. The way music can reflect the theme of motion can also be supported by action within the frame at certain points. Below there is a link to part two of the film. I noted that when the character "Robbie" touched the water the spinning musical motif began again, to perhaps show that what had just occurred was an event that would weave their fates into unfortunate futures. Note how after this shot, there is the same shot of Bryony closing the window, as evident in the part 1. The musical layers thicken at the same time as they thickened in part 1 when her eyes flicked upward in the reflection in the mirror. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obpz-hZcQaM&feature=relmfu  -Part 2

My explination may appear confusing, this is only because the film is constructed of two perspectives of each event that Bryony misunderstands- her view (the way she saw it) and reality (the way it really occurred). The sound is a support tool used to tell both stories and evoke certain themes/emotions- for which I thought "the theme of motion" was the most relevant. This shows how sound can be used effectively in film. "Atonement" I believe is a perfect example. 

Key Terms learnt

Diagetic Sound - Sound that placed in order to appear that it is coming from the world of the film, for example- a girl walks into her room, closes the door and turns on her cd player- the noises created by her movement, the closing f the door and the sound of the cd player are all diagetic sounds coming from the world the character on the screen is in.

Non-Diagetic - Sound that is placed in the film for the purpose of adding to the atmosphere. The viewer knows that this sound does not come from the world of the characters on screen, this tends to be a musical score/soundtrack.

On Screen Sound - Diagetic sound that is coming from a source that can be seen in the frame on screen.

Off Screen Sound - Diagetic sound that is coming from a source that cannot be seen in the frame on screen e.g. the sound of a car crash whilst the camera films the character's reaction to this inside their house.

Parallel Sound - Sound that fits the action occurring on screen e.g. a fast paced song, heavy on guitar playing in a scene of a car chase.

Contrapuntal Sound- Sound that is the wrong fit for what is happening on screen. e.g. a positive pop song during a battle on screen.