Homework: Analysis on opening title sequences

This is a romantic comedy titled Over Her Dead Body. It was made in year 2008 and distributed by New Line Cinemas and Gold Circle Films. The title sequence begins with the camera tracking through pictures, notes and wedding invitations. The pictures are of two people(male and female) so it gives us an idea as maybe those are the two main characters. This is part of the codes&conventions of a rom-com as it introduces the characters. The pictures of the two people show them looking very happy together and because there are lots of pictures of them in different places we know that they have shared a memory. The camera does a close-up of the invitation and from this we it gives us an idea that the invitation may be for this couples' wedding. The introduction of the two characters names also makes it certain that those are the two main characters in this film this is also a code&convention of a rom-com. The arrangement of the cutlery and plates also suggests that one of the characters may be very organised in their life as they are laid very neatly one by one. Also the way the title of the film is shown over the plate ties in with the title 'over her dead body'. The laying out of the cutleries,name cards and plates are again all done very neatly and organised also, all the colours used in decorating are all white this suggests an angelic nature because of the colour white and again it ties in with the name of the film, when people die angels come to get them . The swans on the plate also connote people or things moving on again it is linked with the title of the film and when people die things move on.




This is another example of a Romantic Comedy titled My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was made in the year 2002 and was distributed by IFC films and Gold Circle Films. The title sequence begins with the camera tracking through the city of Chicago in the night. The brightness and grandness of the city of one of the codes&conventions of a title sequence to have a setting in a big city so the characters struggle to find each other in a big city also the idea that romance always happens in big, bright cities. The voice-over given by the female character is also a code&convention of a rom-com. The voice-over also suggests a stereotypical gender role for Greek women which is also a code&convention of a rom-com. The typography of the title has traditional Greek typography which suggests to us that the female and her family are Greek. The order in which the typography comes on screen shows that this isn't normal wedding the words 'Big,Fat,Greek' emphasise the fact that the film may be about an extravagant traditional Greek wedding. The appearance of the female character is not the normal appearance of a female protagonist in a rom-com which suggests that the plot of the film may be about her trying to attract a man that is not on the same level of appearance as her. This is another code&convention of a rom-com.