1) The typography of 'Dexter' is very revealing of what may happen in the series. This is because the writing looks like smears of blood which tells the audience that they can expect danger and blood shed. The edges of the screen are tainted with darkness while the centre is lighter. This makes the titles stand out more clearly while also revealing that things or people may be darker than they seem.
2) This screen shot shows the normal action of a man shaving in the morning. While this is normal, the image of it immediately makes you squeamish because of the previous shot of the bloody title. The blood dripping typography makes you think that the man may hurt himself and it shows vulnerability because a sharp and potentially dangerous object is near a vulnerable pat of the human body.
3) This shot shows more drops of blood and although we know that they are from the man catching himself with razor, the extreme close up of the shot makes the audience uncomfortable and makes it seem like the blood is an important part of the sequence. It could show foreboding and hints that future events will also involve blood shed.
4) This shot is a close up of the man eating meat which also could make the audience uncomfortable because you do not usually see a persons mouth close up while they eat which means this is a unnatural shot. The fact that he is eating meat after images of blood also hints towards the idea of cannibalism.
5) This shot shows the man's hand being unnecessarily clenched while making coffee. This reveals that the man is angry or is a violent person and the close up shot is used to clearly show this.
The shots used for the 'Dexter' opening titles are mostly all close up or extreme close up shots. This is effective because it allows the audience to notice things in a way you would not if they were mid-shots. The audience will notice the tension and anger in the mans movements and the extreme close up shots make the audience feel uncomfortable as though they are intruding on his life. The shots are also very slowDuring the sequence you don't see the man's face until the end and this is effective because it shows clearly that it is a mystery or crime thriller. The shot of the man cutting the orange with unnecessary force also hints towards the genre of crime because it shows violence. The lighting used is quite exposed and bright which means the movements and actions are clear and details are shown to the audience; this could also create an uncomfortable atmosphere. The clothes used are everyday wear but they are used to show the crime genre too. For example in the screen shot below, the white t-shirt is stretched across the man's face which could represent a mask. This links to the idea of crime and mystery of the man's identity. Throughout the sequence a the 'Dexter' theme song is played which uses a combination of piano, bassoon and string instruments such as the violin. This creates a strangely upbeat song however it has a sinister element because of the use of electric instruments which give the song a metallic sound. Behind the music there is a use of diegetic sounds such as the man eating and the razor dragging across his skin. The sounds are unnaturally loud which is uncomfortable for the audience because these actions are quite personal.
Below is a video of the 'Dexter' opening title sequence:
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