Sound analysis

“Se7en” – the box

Sound effects play a major role in building this climax, the soundtrack being especially important. The music appearance is effective due to its intensity and high volume. It begins with a slow rhythm melody of deep bass horns and high pitch metal sounds, which is a heavy and disturbing combination. As the scene develops other brass instruments and percussion join the composition to make it more powerful. The soundtrack, as well as the action of the scene, has three crescendos. The beginning is the first one; a tuba chord signals that the situation is about to get out of control and is supported by Somerset’s terrified facial expression. 

The music calms down at the start of the dialogue between Doe and Mills, but regains the strength as soon as Doe reveals what he has done, and establishes the second, longer and more acoustically complex peak moment. Then, after remaining constant for a while to extend the tension, the sound reaches its third and final summit, when Mills finds out about the death of his pregnant wife, and droppes to a momentary silence to emphasise the pain of the character. The chords and high pitch notes become more frequent and sharper from this point on to convey the struggle and suffering Mills feels, even after he killed Doe.

This use of music would not be as effective if it didn’t contrast with the silent beginning of the scene. There is only dialogue and diegetic ambient sound present until the 41^st second, the loudest of them being the working helicopter engine, hardly heard in the distance. To prove how quiet are the surroundings the audio includes noises from the minor sources, such as rustling of the paper when the box is being opened, birds’ singing, bursts of the wind and the grind of the swinging wires. Even when Somerset discovers Tracy’s head in the box and steps back in horror the stillness isn’t broken. In a way this is use of the contrapuntal sound, since the tranquility of the setting doesn’t fit with the disturbance created by the image. 

A cut away to the helicopter serves as a sound bridge; the loud sound of propellers introduces thrill to the scene. It continues into the following shots as an ambient sound. Gun shots are other special sound effects. The audience hears them both with the frame of Mills offloading bullets in Doe's head and without a visual image, to motivate the viewer's imagination.

However, the featuring part of the audio is the variety created by the actors’ voices. There are multiple emotions presented by Brad Pitt, from the plain annoyance and anger to overwhelming hysteria and despair. Michael Freeman acts as a reasonable man and his voice sounds as if he attempts to suppress the feeling of shock to bring Mills to his senses. The delivery of his lines conveys panic, fear and confidence while he pleads Mills not to make the wrong decision. The helicopter crew is confused by the happening and we can hear it in their dialogues despite of the radio interference. Only Doe’s voice never changes, not even when he confesses in Tracy’s murder or looks in the face of death. He remains cold and distant, a way to speak for a real madman.

Therefore the drama and thrill of this scene are created more by the sound than by the visual image. One would not experience the characters’ feelings without the support of the soundtrack, or believe in the scene’s reality without clear ambient noises. Although eighty percent of the information is received by our eyes, sound takes the top priority in film-making and many sacrifices can be made to achieve its required quality.