Though I may be behind on this post, I feel like I’m ahead with what I am about to talk about.
The blood-sucking mosquito being killed. Eggs frying in a pan. The meticulous flossing. The tight tying of shoes. Showtime’s Dexter is a recipe for emotion and revealing the finer details.
I was told that Dexter was a show about a serial killer who kills serial killers. Being the feel-good person that I am, I wasn’t particularly convinced of the show’s notoriety. I am known for watching an entire movie with a blanket over my face if I think that it might be scary at all. The scariest movie I have probably ever seen is the Goonies… I know, I’m LAME. However, after watching the title scene, I was immediately drawn to watching the thriller show. I wanted to know more; I could see the deeper meanings within the sequence without having any substantial background knowledge of the life that Dexter leads.
I felt like when I watched this title sequence after being a follower of the show since 2009 and learning some killer (get it?? 😉 design techniques, that I couldn’t help but think: GESTALT. Conceptually, this whole title scene is reflective of the gestalt theory. It is simply a normal morning routine that is so symbolic, it’s insane. He kills a blood-sucking mosquito within the first three seconds. He digs into a steak with his knife and fries it up with his eggs, which is paired with hot sauce that is reminiscent of blood. He squeezed out the life, I mean juice, of a fruit. He grinds up his coffee beans, which makes me think of bones being crushed.
The shots are so simple, yet compellingly suggestive that one cannot ignore the symbolism. Even when I hadn’t seen the show before, I could tell from the title scene that the character being portrayed was no ordinary man. The title scene is obviously carefully constructed and meticulous, just as Dexter is on the show. The music, the close up shots, the representations are an effective cooperation that works together to deliver and set the tone for when a viewer watches the show.
I like that title sequences can do this. It makes me unhappy when you see title scenes that don’t have as much effort and art put into them as Dexter does.