![]() ![]() Eventually, in 1987, Carli gave him a chance, and he directed the video for Kool Moe Dee’s “Wild Wild West”, which enjoyably merged hip-hop with the visual tropes of Western movies, while staying in line with Kool Moe Dee’s swaggering personality. The director used to visit Carli’s office regularly to talk about movies, music, and his ambitions. Kalvert (who sadly passed away in 2014) would go on to direct many music videos and the Leonardo DiCaprio film The Basketball Diaries, but in 1988 he was still in his early days. No, Carli wanted a director who would get to know DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince and make a video that achieved her goal: “What could we do that could really tell this story within the budget that we had, in a way that personified the group?” Enter Scott Kalvert.ĭirector Scott Kalvert on the set of his 2002 film Deuces Wild “Parents” was a different kind of hip-hop song, and Carli knew she needed a different kind of director to both bring it to life and ensure the pair made a strong first impression.Ĭarli wasn’t a fan of the usual music video-making process: send a song to a production company, who would assign a director to create a treatment – usually, without ever meeting the musicians. Two years before a show about a West Philadelphia kid moving to Bel-Air premiered, Jive Records was looking to shoot a video for the duo’s promising second single “Parents Just Don’t Understand” off their album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper. That ahead-of-its-time inventiveness, along with its playful creative quality and infectious theme music, is what has made it one of the greatest TV openings of all time.īut how then did it come about? Well, we’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, and we’ll tell you all about the main titles for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.Īlbum cover for He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) ![]() Sure, it may not resemble the openings of series such as Game of Thrones, Jessica Jones, or Vikings, but it serves the same function: focusing on a show’s tone and spirit, rather than merely its star performers. In this way, it’s not far off from what we see in our current Golden Age of TV main titles. It was a standalone work telling a self-contained backstory that was creatively distinct from the show – right down to Will Smith’s mother in the opening being different than the one in the show. Its opening was an entirely original work full of vibrant colours, intricate graffiti, sped-up cartoonish motion, and a dose of slapstick. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was different. Sitcom openings conveyed basic information about the cast and crew, and propped up the theme song. More often than not they’d feature a montage of clips from existing episodes or actors dutifully posing for the camera as their names appeared. In 1990, TV openings – for sitcoms especially – weren’t particularly creative. But 26 years ago when the show premiered, it was looking forward, even anticipating, the evolution of TV main title design. Either way, to watch The Fresh Prince opening is to look back. ![]() It might also come from seeing something that’s nearly three decades old that – despite all its dated style, colours, and fashion – has lost none of its charm. That might come from the days you watched the show when it originally aired or in reruns. Two, you’ll feel a warm nostalgia spread through you like hot cocoa. Watch the opening credits for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and two things are likely to happen. ![]()
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