Famous quote by Harold Ramis

"My first few films were institutional comedies, and you're on pretty safe ground when you're dealing with an institution that vast numbers of people have experienced: college, summer camp, the military, the country club"

About this Quote

Harold Ramis reflects on the early direction of his filmmaking career by pointing to his focus on "institutional comedies”, movies set in environments like college, summer camps, the military, or country clubs. These are settings that represent major social institutions, structures with a wide reach and familiarity to the public. Ramis suggests that choosing such settings offers a kind of safety net for filmmakers or comedic storytellers, because audiences are likely to have at least a passing experience or understanding of these institutions, either through direct participation or through the collective culture.

The humor in these settings arises from their rigid codes, traditions, and hierarchies, which provide a clear backdrop against which to contrast rebelliousness, individuality, and absurdity. Comedy thrives on shared reference points, using them to satirize, exaggerate, or highlight the quirks, annoyances, and hypocrisies that frequently exist within large establishments. When a filmmaker sets a story in, for instance, a college, there is an expectation of certain archetypes and situations: students versus administration, the chaos of youth, academic pretension, and the coming-of-age process. Audiences recognize these tropes and can relate to, even if only tangentially, the situations depicted.

Ramis’s statement acknowledges the universality of bureaucracy and group experience within institutions, nearly everyone has felt the frustrations or camaraderie produced by such structures. This becomes fertile ground for comedy, because shared experience means shared understanding, and therefore, a higher chance that jokes will land and be appreciated. Choosing these environments was strategic; it allowed Ramis and his collaborators to tap into a collective social memory, making their comedies feel accessible and relevant.

By building humor out of institutions, filmmakers like Ramis also invite audiences to laugh together at the absurdities of their own lives, creating not just entertainment, but a sense of community around the shared experience of navigating rules and routines.

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Harold Ramis This quote is from Harold Ramis between November 21, 1944 and February 24, 2014. He was a famous Actor from USA. The author also have 30 other quotes.
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