Did the Fresh Prince producers ever consider reshooting the title sequence?
The theme and title sequence to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air quickly became an iconic part of the show. However, when you watch it in the context of the show's later success it's painfully obvious that it was almost certainly shot on a shoestring budget for the pilot episode. Several of the shots consist of cheap graffitied backdrops and stand-in extras. Many of the details contradict plot points from the finished show.
For instance, Will's mother in the intro...
...looks completely different to his mother in the show...
Have the show's producers ever talked about this? Did they want to keep the original title sequence for consistency or because they thought the cheap production values were endearing - or for some other reason?
Best Answer
It was shot as a humorous music/rap video, much like the ones DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were already famous for, with very similar styles and editing.
It was never intended to be some sort of continuity-pure reference to events in the show.
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Why did they change the set of Fresh Prince?
During the HBO Max reunion special, Hubert set the record straight and revealed that she was never fired from the hit sitcom, but instead rejected a salary cut and a contract that wouldn't allow her to work elsewhere. "They offered this really bad deal in the third season," she recalled, per Entertainment Tonight.What theme did DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince use?
"Yo Home to Bel-Air", informally known as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme", is a song performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It is the theme song to the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air....The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song."Yo Home to Bel-Air"GenreEast Coast hip hopLength2:58LabelJiveSongwriter(s)Willard Smith, Jeffrey Townes7 more rowsFresh Prince of Bel Air - Bell Biv DeVoe Music Video
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Answer 2
As explained in this deliciously in-depth article:
“When it was time to shoot the main title, we went with the people behind the video of ‘Parents,’” says Andy Borowitz. Scott Kalvert came in with a treatment that deliberately stayed in line with what had inspired the show. “The idea was ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand,’ ‘Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble’ and ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ were all somewhat the same song and video,” says Townes, who appears in the video as one of Smith’s basketball buddies. “We basically took our experience of making records and videos and turned it into the intro of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Note that this doesn't mean they used the same actress:
According to Townes, there’s also another casting rumor to clear up. Apparently, the mom in the “Parents Just Don’t Understand“ video and the “Fresh Prince” intro are not the same person, despite claims.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Anete Lusina, Karolina Grabowska, Anete Lusina, Karolina Grabowska