Tomas Balino New Final Project Proposal

Topic- Ever wanted to be a stand-up comic? Every Saturday, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda holds a stand-up comedy show, the Laugh Riot. It's not just for hotel patrons, however; anyone can get in for $10 if they're 18 or older. The best part? After the professional comedians do their routines, members of the audience can go onstage and tell their own jokes. The person who tells the best one gets a $25 cash prize.

Relevance- I think stand-up comedy's one of those pipe dreams many funny people have in their lives. However, fear of failure can often get in the way. This opportunity almost seems ideal; you get up on stage, tell your joke and, if it's good, you could get $25. If not, you just walk off-stage and don't have to do it again.

Audience- Wannabe comedians, people who appreciate humor, and even people who might think the Hyatt hotel seems to elitist to hold a fun event like this. I think young people would be especially interested in this story, from college students to 30-something year-olds.

Research- For one, I'd have to figure out who at the Hyatt arranges this event every week. That would probably require a few phone calls, or a visit to the Hyatt itself. From there I'd ask about how the show came to be, why stand-up, how many people normally attend and so forth. It would be fantastic if I could score interviews with some of the pro performers, although that might be harder.

Visuals (photo)- I would definitely take photographs of the comedians performing, people laughing and so forth. I'd also take a few photos of the Hyatt and of the people I interview.

Audio- I'd record the interviews, of course, but I'd also record good jokes and audience members laughing at them. I could even interview the audience members who get on-stage and tell their jokes.

Video- like my photographs, I would focus on the comedians (amateur and not) performing, as well as the audience's reaction.

Access issues- I'd have to make sure the Hyatt is alright with me recording their show.

Time frame- a week if everything goes really well, but in realistic terms, perhaps a week and-a-half or two. I'd have to schedule interviews, make sure I can bring audio and video recorders, and, of course, go to one of the shows. The good thing is that the show is weekly, so if I have any problems with video or sound, I could always go back another week.

EDIT: didn't include tags, so I'm fixing that now.