While the idea of watching reindeer being herded across a landscape may seem boring to many people, NRK’s slow TV projects have proven to be very popular, reports France24, so much so that the newspaper Adressavisen is saying media in Germany and the UK have expressed interest.
Slow TV is just what the name implies and in our world of instant gratification, racing against the clock and sometimes, continuous stress, there is a need for a cooling-off period, and it seems like slow TV may be the answer. The shows began almost 10 years ago with a mind-numbing 134-hour broadcast of a cruise ship sailing up the Norwegian coast.
Slow TV a big hit with viewers
According to Digital Journal, “It was so popular, that apparently at one stage 60 percent of the population was watching the show. It seems that long calming sequences of images have become the network’s trademark and Norwegians like it.”
Other memorable slow TV projects have included a 12-hour primetime broadcast of a burning fireplace, with a running commentary by “fireplace” specialists. Another big hit was an 8-hour train trip across Norway. This show was a huge hit, requiring the station to rerun the trip.
These shows were followed up by an epic slow-TV knitting show that followed how a jersey is made – from shearing the sheep all the way through to the final article, a solid 13-hours of shearing and knitting.
But the knitting show had to take a backseat when 22-year-old chess prodigy and Norwegian chess grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen, played the reigning champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand in the Indian city of Chennai. NRK devoted almost 100 hours to the chess match.
Reindeer herding in northern Norway
This month’s slow TV project will be an almost non-stop filming of the annual spring migration of the reindeer, with herders moving them from their winter pastures on the inland mountain plateaus to their summer grazing grounds along the coast. The trek to the summer grounds will have no timetable because the reindeer will move at their own pace.
For this reason, NRK says there will be plenty of breathtaking scenery as well as some interesting commentary says Per Inge Asen, one of those responsible for the project. “The reindeer (will) decide (the pace) depending on the weather conditions and the grazing possibilities along the way.”
Documenting a reindeer migration is an interesting process, reports CTV News Canada. It involves more than someone holding a video camera walking alongside a herd of animals. The project crew will make use of the lasted technologies, including drones, camera crews on snowmobiles and even a camera mounted on a reindeer as they make the 100 kilometers (62 miles) trek to their summer grounds.
Note to readers: Take a couple minutes to view the accompanying video. Produced by NRK, it has some incredible scenery.
