My Big Fat Greek Wedding Opening Title Sequence (Ends aprrox 5:00 mins)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 American Romantic Comedy film; it was directed by Joel Zwick and distributed by IFC Films. The title sequence begins with the camera tracking through the city of Chicago at night. The viewer hears the diegetic sounds of splattering rain which creates a dreary atmosphere in comparison to the striking city of Chicago. Also, the film is set in a big city (Chicago) which is one of the codes and conventions of a Rom-Com. Regarding the typography, some of the letters in the titles that come up are in traditional, Greek writing which suggests that the film may be concerning someone who is Greek or is from a Greek background. This is also supported by the fact that the titles are in blue and white which are the colours on the Greek flag. There is also a voice over in the title sequence which is another code and convention of a Rom-Com and we later realise that the voice over is the main character. In the car scene when the main character, Toula is with her father the viewer learns that she is from a traditional, Greek family as her father expects her to "marry a Greek, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day she dies." After this scene the title of the film comes on and the words 'Big', 'Fat' and Greek' appear later whereas the words 'My' and 'Wedding' appear before these words. The words 'My' and 'Wedding' are in white; this colour is used as it is significant in weddings as it signifies purity. However, the words 'Big', 'Fat' and Greek' are in blue and these words seem significant as it connotes some information about Toula to the viewer. These words connote to the viewer that Toula and her family are Greek and the word 'fat' suggests to the viewer that she may be the opposite to the stereotypical female protagonist portrayed in a Rom-Com. As the title of the film is displayed on the screen, it appears in the form of a cake, as a wedding cake usually has layers and each of the words of the film are on different layers. In the next scene we see her entering into a restaurant which suggests to the viewer that is where she works and as she gets into the restaurant she retells her childhood. The viewer learns that her culture is very significant as it is emphasised a lot during the sequence e.g. her going to Greek classes as a child and Greek gods outside her house. The viewer also learns how vital marriage is in her Greek background. We see that Toula felt that she looked different from the other girls in her school, so she is not the typical female protagonist in this film. Therefore, this may lead to her falling in love with a guy who is 'out of her league'.