Research & Planning : Narrative theories

The Hermeneutic code is when the opening of the piece leaves questions with the audience and makes it sort of a mystery. The point in this is that it keeps the audience wondering what is going to happen next and makes them try to figure out the answers to the question as the film progresses. This keeps them involved and therefore enjoy the film more. This is applied in Dexter as there is a lot of extreme close ups which leave us as the audience wondering, who is the man? and why does he seem so aggressive?
     The Proairetic code is very similar to the Hermeneutic code in that it keeps getting the audience to think about the piece and it makes them again ask questions to themselves. In the Proairetic code it puts the audience on edge and makes them wonder if there is anything going to happen soon. In Dexter this could be applied because the camera shots make the man seem violent and therefore makes the audience think that he will produce some sort of violent act. This is supported by the dripping blood.
     The Semantic code is how camera shots and editing is done which makes the opening seem the way it does. In Dexter there is a lot of close ups which means that you cannot fully see the whole setting which creates mystery. In Dexter the lighting is generally dark which again creates the feeling of violence and mystery.
     Levi-Strauss introduced the idea of binary opposition as one way of analysing narratives. He delivered the point that every element in a story had some sort of contrasting element to fight against it or to argue another meaning. A typical example of this would be Cowboys & Indians. This could be shown in Dexter through the Person's serial killer, violent mind, against the everyday life. For example in the opening there is the violence shown through the knives, his razor and the blood, and then the everyday life is shown by the food that he eats and just the general idea of him getting up, eating, getting dressed and going out of the house. Just the average person's morning sequence.