About "That Damned Cow - Just what is Norwegian Slow TV?"

Slow TV’s profile has grown since it emerged in Norway in 2009. NRK2, the second channel of the state broadcaster has been the pioneer in developing this real time marathon event broadcast format, taking surprise ratings at home and gaining global attention. Train journeys, a ferry voyage, knitting and singing a hymn book over sixty hours are some of the Slow TV subjects which NRK has shown.

“That Damned Cow”, subtitled “Just what is Norwegian Slow TV?” is a documentary which asks exactly that. It sets out NRK’s narrative through interviews with key NRK staff in Bergen and Oslo, from inception to international distribution.

It explores the relaxing experience many Slow TV viewers cite, from interviews at the Norwegian Hymn Book Slow TV event, with a Doctor of Media Psychology and with British Airways which has begun using the Bergensbanen train journey on some long haul in-flight entertainment.

“That Damned Cow” considers the future of Slow TV inside and outside of Norway. It offers ways of understanding the depth and potential of what at first seems a simple formula but evokes a spectrum of participation in real life and social media, engages national pride, heritage, community and identity.

NARRATOR

Mark Brisbourne

INTERVIEWS

British Airways

Richard D’Cruze

DRG

Andrea Jackson

NRK

Fredrik Færden

Ole Hedemann

Thomas Hellum

Rune Møklebust

Anniken Næss

Spafax

Henry Gummer

Dr Arve Hjelseth

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim

Dr Espen Ytreberg

The University of Oslo

Dr Adam Galpin

The University of Salford

Choir Members, Salmeboka Minutt for Minutt

Randi Gunhildstad

Linda Haukås

Grateful Acknowledgement

Dr Pauline Prevett

Production Assistant (Oslo and Bergen)

Principal NRK Slow TV Liaison

Thomas Hellum

The University of Salford:

Laurence Murphy

Store and Technical Support Staff

Petter Ingholm Gustavsen, NRK

Stein Lillebo, Hurtigruten

Liz Southall

RedShift Radio, Crewe

NRK footage and graphics used with permission, copyright NRK

British Airways images

courtesy

British Airways Video Library

MUSIC

Principal Music

Tony Longworth

Ambient Music

Mark Sheeky

Additional Music

Purple Planet Music

Filmed in

Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim, Norway

Osmington Mills and London, England

Betws y Coed and Dyffryn Ogwen, Wales

Original Photography by

Tim Prevett

Produced and Directed by

Tim Prevett

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The Eve of the Slow Media Symposium

Having arrived in Corsham for the Slow Media Symposium, I took a quick recce so I would know exactly where to go in the morning. As I got closer across town using a few small alleys revealed on googlemaps the 'old world' feel of the town grew. 

Corsham High Street looking like a period drama film set, the funnelling down of the road to the car park in front of Corsham Court (an impressive scene peeping through the driveway arch, reminding me of Wayne Manor from Batman) and the church which has had a place of worship on the location for over 1,00 years. 

Tall trees with vibes of dryads about them, splashes of lime yellow from spring primroses. Peacocks perched in trees belting out their almost demonic feline yells and owls t-wit t-wooing. Crepuscular marvels as the shadows deepened and darkened minute by minute. All good omens for me. Here's to a day hearing about and reflecting on Slow Media.

As for the film set feel - it turns out that Corsham is one of the locations for the BBC's Poldark as I saw on a banner in front of the town hall as I got back on to the High Street.

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'Slow Road Live' - Slow TV arrives in the USA

A road in Arizona - could 'Slow Road Live' be near here?

Slow Road Live did not go out on 27th November 2015; it is assumed this USA Slow TV project is put back until sometime in 2016. A little more discussion here.

"If this happens it will be ground breaking, nothing like this has ever been done before on American television. It goes absolutely in the opposite direction of every other kind of television on air in that country and I think it will have tremendous impact".

These are the words of Andrea Jackson at Digital Rights Group (DRG) who sold Slow TV to LMNO Productions (Leave My Name Off) in the USA, 'this' being an American production of the Norwegian format.

Interviewed last October for a documentary about the story of Slow TV so far, the interview at DRG in London was with a view to exploring the future of what began in Norway in 2009 and if it had any viability outside of Norway.

On the 23rd March word got out of what this Slow TV production in the USA would be. Produced by a California based company, it was LMNO's CEO Eric Schotz who memorably remarked "We bought a format called Slow TV from Norway. And it was the most unique, dumbest, most ridiculous idea I've ever seen in my life. And I said, 'I have to have it." 

For 12 hours on Black Friday 2015 (27th November) when many will be facing and dealing with the stresses of frenzied retail 'therapy' Slow TV will be broadcast as a much calmer TV therapy on cable, on the Travel Channel. With much of the population off work following Thanksgiving on the 26th there will be increased opportunity for audiences to calm down and have a real time, slow edited documentary experience.

The subject will be following a caravan for a journey; now what is meant by 'caravan' is curious from a British perspective. For Brits, being behind a caravan for twelve hours could mean the frustration of trying to get away for a bank holiday weekend on the coast or in the countryside, or the anticipation of some peace and tranquility at the coast or in the countryside in a caravan. (See comments about the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 earlier this year). Could 'caravan' apply to one of the huge American 'RVs' (Recreational Vehicles), one of the Western style wagons you used to see on Bonanza or a romantic Romany Gipsy horse drawn carriage?

Pondering the location and route makes for an interesting exercise; with the transmission starting live at 9am Eastern Time and lasting for 12 hours, it could finish in the dark in the right (or wrong) part of The States. The Norwegian broadcast of the Hurtigruten ferry was shown in midsummer for the 24 hour daylight of the midnight sun. The end of November is just a few weeks off midwinter solstice for the northern hemisphere. Also the weather... Where would give reliable weather with better daylight at the time?

If the production stays with the Norwegian format of journeys and locations that are significant for national heritage, pride and identity it would need to be somewhere that is iconic for the USA, engage the deepest hand on heart 'I love my country' sentiment and be set in scenery which will awe audiences around the nation and world and allow small unexpected stories to play out in the tapestry of a much bigger picture.

To balance all those ingredients, somewhere in the West or South West could be best suited. 9am East Coast would be 6am in Arizona. Transmission starting from that time and location would minimise darkness with just after full moon setting towards 9am. Sunrise on, say, the Grand Canyon's north rim would be soon after 7am. Assuming clear skies daylight would begin breaking earlier and then sunset soon after 5pm would give light until around 6pm. 12 hour window of light in a world famous beautiful iconic American location. Just a theory.

Strictly speaking it isn't the first time Norwegian Slow TV has come to the USA. Last November a choir from a Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa took part via satellite link up in NRK's "Salmeboka Minutt for Minutt" - a 60 hour transmission of 200 choirs scheduled to sing the entire Norwegian Hymn Book - 899 hymns. "Slow Road Live" is a welcome full touchdown of televisual calmness which ought to bust viewing figures like nothing else - if the Norwegian experience is anything to go by. 

"Slow Road Live" comes in a good year for Slow TV. Having been largely confined to Norway to date, Easter sees German Channel ARD-Alpha with a Slow TV project, in June the BBC will have a week of "BBC Four Goes Slow". The developers and masters of the format, NRK will likely have another Slow TV transmission - probably in June - and then the first proper development of the Norwegian format outside of Norway, in the USA in November.

This news also comes in a week when Slow Media is being explored at a Symposium organised by Bath Spa University with speakers and attendance from around the world.

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Slow Media Symposium Flyer

I'm delighted to be presenting my film at the Slow Media Symposium at Bath Spa University on Thursday. It will be the premiere of "That Damned Cow - Just what is Norwegian Slow TV?"

I am also looking forward to interacting with others attending and hearing how people are thinking about Slow Media. I've been thinking about Slow TV for over a year now and it's clear that there's much to think about indeedl; it will be enriching to get a handle on how others are thinking around a format which is getting a lot of interest but not a lot of research (yet!)

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Le Telescargot de Slow TV

Le Telescargot de Slow TV

A wonderful compound French word for Slow TV - 'Telescargot'.

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That Damned Cow - Just What is Norwegian Slow TV? Trailer

On March 11th 2014 I sent an email to NRK enquiring about Slow TV; here, almost a year later, is a link to the trailer for the very nearly finished 29 minute documentary which is the fruit of a Masters Degree research project.

The first showing of That Damned Cow will be at the Slow Media Symposium at Bath Spa University; It's possible there could be showings at a French venue in April (to be confirmed) with another showing under discussion at a to-be-confirmed venue in Liverpool on Norway's national day, 17th May. There will hopefully showings at film festivals in June and October - subject to acceptance, of course.

A year of an amazing exploration of an enriching TV format is nearly completed, with further plans to engage and research Slow TV. Watch this space!


That Damned Cow - Just What is Norwegian Slow TV? Trailer from Tim Prevett on Vimeo.

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