Tamra Davis (born January 22, 1962) is an American
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
,
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
and
music video director
A music video director is the head of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or may not be in collaboration ...
.
Early life
Davis was born the second out of four children in
Studio City, California
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
. She was exposed to the media industry at an early age by her grandfather, a comedy writer, and her grandmother, who was an actress at Fox. Davis and her family constantly watched films and she aspired to become an actress. In the 11th grade, Davis dropped out of high school and met Egyptian film producer Ibrahim Moussa. Ibrahim took Davis to Italy for six months to work.
Returning to the U.S., Davis worked at an art gallery but soon quit to work at
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope (also known as Omni Zoetrope from 1977 to 1980 and Zoetrope Studios from 1980 until 1990) is a privately run American film production company, centered in San Francisco, California and founded by Francis Ford Coppola and Georg ...
in an apprentice position. The studio was struggling to complete
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
's Waterloo, ''
One From the Heart
''One from the Heart'' is a 1982 American musical romantic drama film co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, and Harry Dean Stanton. The story is set ...
''; the hectic schedule allowed Davis to study Coppola's directing and the business. Coppola suggested to Davis that she go to school, at which point she then attended
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...
.
Career
Davis first shot a film using a super 8 mm camera during her time at
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...
.
[Lane, Christina. ''Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break.''Contemporary Film and Television Series. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000]
As soon as she got out of school, Davis sent out a package of videos that she had done and was hired to do a video for the band
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...
. Davis states that music videos "played a huge role in developing my sensibility as a director. There's much less sexism in the video world and they're open to women. But more important, with video you're always being pushed to experiment and come up with something new."
During her career, Davis ended up directing over 155 music videos.
While working at
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, Davis was encouraged to engage in her empathy towards multicultural and feminist issues.
Christina Lane stated in her book ''Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break'' that as a person who was knowledgeable towards feminist politics, Tamra Davis wanted to empower young women to feel good about their sexuality.
Lane also mentioned that Davis used her platform to voice feminist ideas and empower girls.
A writer at the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
reported, "Over the past seven years, Tamra Davis has made a name for herself directing cutting-edge videos for some of the thorniest acts in popular music. As director of choice for performers such as
N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
,
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
, and
Black Flag."
Davis participated in The Polygram Video's program called ''No Alternative: A benefit for AIDS, education and relie''f which had a section in their program where multiple independent film directors created a series of short films.
In this program, Tamra Davis directed a short film called ''No Alternative Girls'' which discussed gender inequality.
Tamra Davis also directed ''
Guncrazy
''Guncrazy'' is a 1992 American crime drama film inspired by the 1950 film ''Gun Crazy''. It was directed by Tamra Davis in her feature film directorial debut, written by Matthew Bright and starring Drew Barrymore. Davis had read the script in 19 ...
'' (1992), a film which starred actor
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...
.
[Levy, Emanuel. ''Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film.''New York: New York University Press, 1999][Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. ''Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1995.] This film was a remake of the 50s film ''
Gun Crazy
''Gun Crazy'' (also known as ''Deadly Is the Female'') is a 1950 American crime film noir starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall in a story about the crime-spree of a gun-toting husband and wife. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and produced ...
''. Many books and articles have stated that her film had similar elements to
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...
.
Christina Lane acknowledged the mixed reviews for Davis' film. Lane wrote that some thought the film was too violent and others said the violence was necessary for the story she was telling.
When asked about the violence of the film Davis said she did it because she wanted a strong emotional reaction from the audience.
In the book, Davis expressed that she was not cautious when it came to her audiences’ emotions.
Davis stated, "I wanted to say something about how our society abuses people and yet gives them violent possibilities to turn that abuse back onto society."
Before the production of the film, Davis researched reactions teenagers had to sexual abuse. Davis said that she also looked at how a teenage girl's everyday life changed after the abuse.
Davis is also known for directing films such as ''
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child'', ''
CB4
''CB4'' is a 1993 American satirical comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named "CB4", named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed (Cell Block 4). The movie ...
'', ''
Billy Madison
''Billy Madison'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald, Darren McGavin, Mark Beltzman, and Larry Hankin. The film was written by Sandl ...
'', and ''
Half Baked
''Half Baked'' is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. The ...
'' and television shows such as ''
My Name Is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Ja ...
'' and ''
Everybody Hates Chris
''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...
''. She also directed the film ''
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
'', starring
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
.
For the film ''
CB4
''CB4'' is a 1993 American satirical comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named "CB4", named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed (Cell Block 4). The movie ...
'',
Rupert Wainwright
Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, with credits including ''Blank Check'' (1994), ''The Sadness of Sex'' (1995) and ''Stigmata'' (1999). He is also a music video producer and multiple award-winner.
British-born, Wain ...
was originally asked to direct the film.
Davis was their second choice after Wainwright turned the project down.
According to Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, the comedy made fun of the seriousness and sexism of rap music videos while also taking a look at how Hollywood has misused African-American culture in the industry.
Foster also examined that Davis was not part of the writing of this film. However, it was noted that she did add her own knowledge of music videos, rap, and politics into the film.
' 'Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break'' discussed difficulties Davis had with the production of the film.
These difficulties included a limited time to film, the filming conditions due to the heat was difficult, and the script was changed often.
The book also mentioned that Tamra Davis speaks highly of her time working on ''
CB4
''CB4'' is a 1993 American satirical comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named "CB4", named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed (Cell Block 4). The movie ...
''.
Foster wrote in her book, ''Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary'', that this film proved Davis’ skills as a comedy director.
(formatting needs fixing)
According to an article in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', Tamra Davis had trouble finding a good location for the Western for the film she was originally supposed to direct, ''
Bad Girls'' (1994).
Many sources state that the studio disagreed with the feminist approach Davis was taking for the film ''
Bad Girls'' (1994).
According to multiple sources, many producers were in disagreement with what Davis wanted within the film.
Lane revealed that the budget given was not enough to provide Davis with the equipment she needed.
In the end, Davis was replaced with director
Jonathan Kaplan
Jonathan Kaplan (born November 25, 1947) is an American film producer and director. His film ''The Accused'' (1988) earned actress Jodie Foster an Oscar for Best Actress and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International ...
.
With the new director, the script was rewritten and the earlier footage was abandoned.
Currently, Davis has a cooking show showcasing vegetarian fare called Tamra Davis Cooking Show accessible on her website www.tamradaviscookingshow.com. She also wrote a cookbook titled ''Make Me Something Good to Eat''.
Personal life
Davis married
Mike D
Michael Louis Diamond (born November 20, 1965), better known as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is best known as a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Early life
Diamond was born in New York Cit ...
of the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
in 1993. They are now legally separated.
They have two children, Skyler and Davis.
Work
Books
*''Make Me Something Good to Eat'' (2009)
Filmography
Music videos
References
External links
Tamra Davis cooking show website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Tamra
1962 births
American chefs
American music video directors
American television directors
American cookbook writers
American women film directors
Comedy film directors
Female music video directors
American women television directors
Living people
Los Angeles City College alumni
People from Studio City, Los Angeles
American women chefs
Women cookbook writers
Film directors from Los Angeles
American women non-fiction writers
21st-century American women