dexter

Dexter opening sequence analysis.

The sequence is full of iconography and activities related to blood. This is done because the main character, Dexter, is closely related to blood. (E.g collecting victim's blood in slides) The first occurrence of this is the mosquito biting Dexter, and he kills it. The name if the show is then show, splattered with blood. This again links Dexter to blood. Than an extreme close-up of him shaving is shown, and Dexter cuts himself. The blood runs down his neck and drips onto the clean surface of the sink. Dexter immaculately wipes it away with a scrap of tissue. This represents the spilling of blood, and Dexter's skills of cleaning it up with having nothing left. All of these shots correspond to the drawing of blood/the kill.

The sequence then begins to focus on the cutting up/disposing of the victims. This is effectively displayed in numerous ways, all linked to food. For example, a piece of pork is dissected, and egg is sliced, mixing with ketchup (connotation of the blood) as it separates. A highly effective shot of an orange being sliced in two against a red background again connotes the dissecting of victims bodies, with the red again suggesting a presence of blood. All of this shots show a lot of texture, are high definition and make innocent activities of the guy getting ready in the mourning look creepy and become a connotation of blood and murders.

Next images of flossing and laces being tied are shown. He is then shown pulling a shirt over his head, slowly bringing his face into view for the first time. This connotes the hidden side of Dexter - throughout the imagery, which represents his killings his face is never shown - this aspect of his personality is not known to others. Also he it is another way of killing (which Dexter doesn’t use) – choking. It looks like if he`s suffocating. An extreme close up of Dexter locking the door represents that this part of his life is kept apart from the rest of the world.

In the end we can see Dexter going away, looking really normal, and making the viewers feel quite confused and do not understand how this nice young man can kill people and how this nice man`s mourning routine was shown that creepy.

Shots are almost exclusively close-up and extreme close ups. This not only makes the everyday activities seem more sinister, but also keeps the identity of Dexter hidden. The close-ups focuses on things related to death - the knife slicing the orange, the floss restricting blood flow and the blood splattering onto the sink, killing the mosquito.

Diegetic sound emphasizes what Dexter is doing and is hugely exaggerated, the same as the close ups look exaggerated but very effective. Diegetic sound is the song which makes the sequence look even more mysterious. I think the opening in the whole is very effective and works very well. It is one of the best openings I`ve ever seen!