Dexter: "the opening sequence is considered one of the most innovative of its era"

"The opening sequence is considered one of the most innovative of its era".



Dexter's opening title sequence follows the conventions of a film noir. Its use of imagery is very clever as it links everyday things like cooking and shaving, and links them to murder by the use of the colour red, or the sharp objects that cut though things. It explores the morning regimen of a man and links him to death, telling us that he is going to be involved in a murder in some way. Usually the people they show in the clips are the detective or the victim, but sometimes to flip the coin the murder can be shown, and we learn how they did it. It makes use of cinematography and uses it to brilliantly to tell us about the character of Dexter. The opening sequence provides us with clues about the TV show and what/who the narrative follows. The music in the clip builds tension as it sounds like someone is plotting a plan to murder. The diegetic sound effects (eg. shaving) makes the audience cringe over everyday things. Everyone does these things, but making the sound diegetic and load compared to the music gives us an uncomfortable feeling, however we can't take our eyes off it. the low key lighting represents the early morning, but also represents murder/death/darkness and we can tell our prevalent character is involved in some way especially with the contract in high key lighting at the end, as it makes him seem like an ordinary person, when we know he isn't.
"These opening credits depict Dexter Morgan's daily morning routine, showing everything that embodies his character in a neat, stylised set of actions that detail vibrant colours and themes explaining the series in a calm pace. Every morning Dexter is seen being bit by a simple mosquito, which he smacks leaving a blood spot which he just simply stares at with somewhat of a smile. After the title is shown, he proceeds to shave and fix his breakfast. Blood from a shaving cut being magnified towards the theme of the show as well as the food he prepares (from simple ham and eggs, which he slashes open to a blood orange that he juices). At the end of the sequence, Dexter pulls a shirt over his head showing that he's a normal man with deep, cold eyes carrying a dark expression but as he leaves his apartment, all that seems to disappear under a colourful  nice guy mask as he nods towards the camera walking along the outside of his apartment."



"The main title sequence, shown before every episode, takes the morning routine of the main character, converting it into a highly unusual montage by adding new layers of meaning and expanding its significance beyond the literal (denotative message) into ideological, aesthetic, hermeneutic and ontological level (connotative messages)."