Walking Lightly: A Portrait of Einstein

For the past 15 years, Len Barron, an accomplished stage performer from Boulder, Colorado has delighted audiences with a one-man stage presentation entitled “Walking Lightly: A Portrait of Einstein.” This 80-minute stage production receives high praise for its lighthearted, positive, informative, entertaining, and human story of one of the great men of the twentieth century. Barron’s portrayal of Time magazine’s “Man of the Century” continues to delight audiences in many venues, both large and small, throughout the United States. Colleges, high schools, small businesses, specialized groups, and many major American corporations all have been rewarded by Len’s production.

Recognizing the value of Barron’s unusual and entertaining interpretation of the Albert Einstein story, Cine Design Films and producer Jon Husband optioned the rights to, “Walking Lightly”, from the author for Television broadcast. The goal: to produce a first rate, hour-long national television broadcast, second run television broadcast, educational, ancillary, plus DVD and Video copies for a variety of outlets. Cine Design Films is currently in the development / preproduction stage with Len Barron to translate the 80 minute stage presentation into a one-hour television program.

Rocky Mountain PBS has expressed interest in the program to help maximize its reach to a television audience. The stage presentation was videotaped in November of 2002, by KRMA, the Denver PBS affiliate, to judge the commercial, educational, and general audience appeal. Conversations between the Corporation for Public Broadcast, and Rocky Mountain PBS concerning the television show have been positive. The ability of PBS to provide an initial nationwide television audience, for this program adds great value for all second run television possibilities. The program’s timelessness, combined with the ever present and ongoing interest in Einstein life, give the story and this production a very solid footing in the cable channel arena; Bravo, A&E, Discovery, TNT, The Learning Channel, Disney, will only increase the television audience expected from this program.

The “Walking Lightly” production will require a re-shooting of Len’s stage performance at a venue conducive to his live/stage performance with an attending audience. Several stage theaters in Denver and Boulder are under consideration. Shooting additional scenes with Len Barron on a location that reflects the script is a way to break away from the stage and create more visual interest. Certain locations may need to be shot to cover ideas that stock footage may not cover or again to lend interest in the production. These shots would be primarily of close-ups of inanimate items that were in Einstein’s life. This will keep production costs manageable. The majority of the footage is period related and people and costumes are expensive.

The script has been tightened by the author and producer to reflect the one-hour television format and is available for review. The inclusion of a new theater presentation shot with a mix of camera angles, new scenes, inclusion of current and period music, existing stock footage, and still photographs, heightens the visual environment that was a part of Einstein’s life, work, home, and play. The television program, with these production values added, will provide the viewer a greater personal connection to the Einstein story. The wider scope of the program creates a more engaging, interesting, and commercial production.

A marketing / advertising and budget has been incorporated within the general production budget to cover a variety of promotional needs. A strong direct mail campaign is planned to reach and involve interested groups, be they science, biography, education, outreach, schools, or Einstein’s celebrity interest. Interviews on radio and television with the author about the television program and Einstein the man will be encouraged. Television commercials promoting the broadcasts will be produced. A “Walking Lightly” web site that has the capacity to link to educational, science, learning, and other Einstein web sites to further boost the video and DVD response for this program will be created. Additional interested contacts with large retail outlets are underway. Many DVD/Video retail stores as Blockbuster, Barnes and Nobel, Wal-Mart, and others, along with public libraries, currently have extensive documentary sections as part of their inventory. An educational consultant will consult with the production team to insure that this program is in compliance with school standards prior to a strong push for DVD and video sales to American’s major school systems.