When a director and cinematographer design the setting of the movie, they often have to take some liberties with how things look in order to get the feel or atmosphere of the time period or location. It may require a directorial interpretation of what the author is describing and means for things to look like.
Filmmakers will often adapt things, changing things to make the story clearer or more relevant to their audience. They may take things out of the story, rearrange time and sequence, or may choose actors who may not seem appropriate for characters. Remember that a movie squeezes a novel’s worth of action, ideas, themes, etc. into a compressed hour and a half.
The fact that the movie was filmed in black and white gives the aura of a period piece to the setting, the 1930’s. The opening scenes establish the town as a quiet town, well-ordered and archaic as a horse-drawn delivery wagon rolls along, leading the camera. There are two significant reasons for this introduction to Maycomb: (1) order is torn down through Tom's arrest and trial; (2) even though the story and themes show the dark side of human experience and nature, it is not a noir film because the three main characters strive, survive and develop positively, not negatively.
Even though you might have pictured Maycomb a little different than the movie’s portrayal, the film does capture the overall nostalgic feel and atmosphere of this town that is in conflict with its values and beliefs.
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