How does the credit sequence from Dexter work?
Where did the creative ideas come from?
The Creative director , ‘Eric Anderson’ ,saw the letter forms in DEXTER look almost identical right side up as well as upside down. Crime scene photography also played a key role in the context of the creative ideas as it showed the mundane or normal everyday things to be sinister, recontextualising how the audience view the ordinary or everyday things such as the morning routine.
Eric Anderson wanted to examine the way an audience looked at everyday things:
"Everything, no matter how mundane or beautiful, has an undercurrent of violence to it. It is just a matter of how closely you look. We are conditioned to see a blossoming flower as beautiful. But if you look closely, if you look differently you will see it more like an explosion. Here we see a mundane morning routine illustrated in extreme close-ups showing the underlying tension found in everyday situations making violence a part of everything"
Eric Anderson wanted to examine the way an audience looked at everyday things:
"Everything, no matter how mundane or beautiful, has an undercurrent of violence to it. It is just a matter of how closely you look. We are conditioned to see a blossoming flower as beautiful. But if you look closely, if you look differently you will see it more like an explosion. Here we see a mundane morning routine illustrated in extreme close-ups showing the underlying tension found in everyday situations making violence a part of everything"
The window where Martin Luther King was shot from
How did they fit in with the concept of the character of Dexter?
This fits with the concept of the character Dexter as on the whole it looks normal, but really there is something slightly wrong, such as the letter forms, the ‘T’ and the ‘R’ which are upside down. Much like his character, on the outside or to soceity he seems normal/acts normal when really he is a serial killer. The use of jump cuts also emphasise the sense that there is something wrong with him as the jump cuts make his routine seem even more sinister. This raises questions and sets an 'enigma code' in which the audience are intrigued to find out more.
How did the actual sequence communicate this meaning about Dexter?
The mise-en-scene of ordinary things that can be seen as violent enhanced the audiences understanding that although things may look normal, they have a darker meaning. The morning routine certainly shows this as the simple act of making breakfast becomes disturbing by the use of close-ups on the food and the knives that are used in preparation of it. The Orange especially does this as it looks like a normal orange, but however when it is cut into it is red inside which connotes that ‘Dexter’ will be far from ordinary and subtly gives indications into of the unusualness of his character.
The mise-en-scene of ordinary things that can be seen as violent enhanced the audiences understanding that although things may look normal, they have a darker meaning. The morning routine certainly shows this as the simple act of making breakfast becomes disturbing by the use of close-ups on the food and the knives that are used in preparation of it. The Orange especially does this as it looks like a normal orange, but however when it is cut into it is red inside which connotes that ‘Dexter’ will be far from ordinary and subtly gives indications into of the unusualness of his character.
Cutting meat or fish seems like an ordinary task but if you think about it, it seems almost violent and disturbing. |
How did the use of noir lighting and shallow depth of field add to the atmosphere of the piece?
The shallow depth of field helps to add atmosphere as if you normally look at things you are conditioned to see them as beautiful, where as if you look closely, shown by the extreme macro close up shots of his routine such as his face, you think it is almost grotesque and out of the ordinary as it is a different way to look at things. The creative director was aiming for what he called ‘unpolished grittiness’.
Noir films portrayed a more dark side about urban life filled with crime, mystery and often a horror feel. In ‘Dexter’ noir lighting was used to enhance the feel that underneath the character surface, that there is something dark about him.
One of the key aspectss of film noir is the lighting which gives a crisp and precise image and figures outlines in the darkness. Shadow was extremely important to create a certain mood, like in the opening sequence of ‘Dexter’.
How did the choice of music anchor the meaning of Dexter, why was it chosen over the Xploding Plastix track?
The shallow depth of field helps to add atmosphere as if you normally look at things you are conditioned to see them as beautiful, where as if you look closely, shown by the extreme macro close up shots of his routine such as his face, you think it is almost grotesque and out of the ordinary as it is a different way to look at things. The creative director was aiming for what he called ‘unpolished grittiness’.
Noir films portrayed a more dark side about urban life filled with crime, mystery and often a horror feel. In ‘Dexter’ noir lighting was used to enhance the feel that underneath the character surface, that there is something dark about him.
One of the key aspectss of film noir is the lighting which gives a crisp and precise image and figures outlines in the darkness. Shadow was extremely important to create a certain mood, like in the opening sequence of ‘Dexter’.
How did the choice of music anchor the meaning of Dexter, why was it chosen over the Xploding Plastix track?
The undercurrent violence that Anderson wanted was mean to represent Dexter, whilst the Xploding Plastix track wasn’t like by the creators of the show as it seemed to violent and didn’t fit Andersons concept. The second track however gave the audience a playful view of the character Dexter as well allowing them to imagine how normal things can be perceived as violent or humorous. The first track didn’t work as it came over as too strong and violent and not the concept that everything mundane can be seen as sinister if you look at it closely |
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