2. 1) Identify 2 OTS conventions in Dexter
• The opening sequence
introduces the film title which
is what the audience expect
the opening sequence to do
and therefore is a convention.
• In addition, the opening
sequence presents the actors/
the cast memebers which is
typical of any OTS as the
audience associate them to
display who is in the film and
the main people involved in
creating it
3. 2) Connotations of the conventions within the
OTS of Dexter
1. Red-shows superiority, alertness, blood, anger
and danger within the series Dexter; it is a
masculine colour and so the audience is
expected to be mainly male.
2. Drop shadow- is used to give the audience the
impression that the object/text is raised
above the object behind it-distinguishing the
genre as a result.
3. Laces, knives, mosquito's and oranges
(crushed)- these objects/beings used in the
OTS, represent the acts that Dexter will
make within the series e.g the laces
represent strangling and so ultimately death
and the orange being crushed represents a
head being crushed...
1. Bold text- establishes priority within the OTS-it
gives references to blood and so connotes the
impression of murder within this series-giving a
narrative enigma of what the
protagonist/antagonists motives are.
2. Capitals-are used for visual effect to emphasize
the narrative enigma-highlighting the blood
theme and crime thriller as a result. Arguably,
foreshadowing events that will follow in the series
(Dexter leads a double life-he murders the
guilty). Moreover, capitals denote a louder, almost
shouting pronunciation...
4. 3) How does the OTS's from Go and The
walking dead compared to the OTS of Dexter
• The font in Dexter is bigger and bolder letters that are all in capitals then
other openings such as Go, the OTS also uses under shadow for the credits to
make it stand out more.
• The OTS for Dexter gives the audience a clear understanding on what the
show is about(murder), this can be compared to another opening such as 'The
walking dead' where both OTS give short clips which in a way foreshadow
events in the show.
5. 4) Why does this OTS have the conventions
you named in Question 1
• This OTS shows many normal day items which are
used to represent different methods in Dexter's
different killing methods.
• for instance the shot where
Dexter is tightening his shoe
laces is made to look like he
is straggling someone.
6. 5) What conventions/purposes are not
applicable and why?
There is no clear establishment of the theme as Dexter’s character is shown graphically
making food with no reference to violence/murder. However, there is the use of colour
to signify this nature of violence, present within the OTS and the TV series as a whole,
as the colour red is used to represent blood and so ultimately, this illustrates Dexter’s
persona/ alter ego that gives the audience an insight into his misunderstood mind of
being a psychopath. Furthermore, the setting isn’t established due to the fact that the
OTS’ main focus is to primarily show the protagonists morale's- establishing the genre
as a result. By showing Dexter surrounded by man’s raw/domestic materials, the
audience are able to see how easy it is for Dexter to use such lethal equipment (that in
a sense could mask his true identity-being a mass murderer) therefore signifying the
dangers that will ensue later on in the series… Moreover, it is clear from the outset that
the characters of the TV series are not the main focus of the OTS as the audience are
only shown the ‘chief protagonist’ in the opening credits-emphasising the importance
of the assumed protagonist as a result.
7. 6)Are the conventions in your OTS typical in
films in the same genre?
• The opening sequence establishes
the protagonist which is similar to
most OTS The film title is set which
is bold therefore highlighting it.
• The genre is clearly introduced
because of the constant reference to
blood which connotes it is going to
be a slasher type film
• However, the setting is not established which is unusual for an OTS. This
therefore makes the audience focus more on the character rather than the
setting which is the purpose of the film.
8. 7) Evaluate the effectiveness in Dexter's OTS
The sequence is very effective because:
• It is very enigmatic as the audience do not get a clear
indication on what are his motives
• A mystery is created as the OPS is careful in not revealing
exactly who he is and what is his purpose therefore creating
tension because the audience still cannot identify his
motives
• The constant use of blood foreshadows future events
because the audience assume that this person will be
involved in killing but are not certain if he will be the
criminal therefore achieving a narrative enigma
