Thursday 31 December 2015

Which countries seem the most interested in Slow TV?

Dear blog readers and visitors - thankyou for making 2015 a great year on the Slow TV blog! Have just pushed through the 22,000 unique page views mark today (31st December 2015).

In the next few days I'll bring my review of the BBC's All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride, a summary of Slow TV in 2015 and what we might look forward to in 2016 for us Slow TV lovers.

Which countries have been the most interested in Slow TV according to the Slow TV blog's hit counter?

In 10th place is The Netherlands. Not yet produced any of their own Slow TV productions but I have been contacted by an intern for a Dutch production company and two undergraduates studying Slow TV from different universities in The Netherlands.

In 9th place is Ireland; not able to explain that one directly. Maybe by virtue of shared interest with the British Isles.

In 8th place is Brunei - and this only in the last month. What is happening in Brunei to give such a surge of interest in Slow TV? Please let me know - I've had a dig around but can't explain that one.

In 7th place with a beastly 666 views is Germany. ARD Alpha did some Slow TV earlier in 2015 and coupled with a steady interest in the subject, I expect will remain a steady source of hits.

In 6th place is the Ukraine. Again, a slightly puzzling source of hits; even before Russia's War and Peace Slow TV in December, The Ukraine gave a steady source of interest in Slow TV.

In 5th place is France; what with a prerecorded Slow TV by the French (The Tokyo Reverse) this may explain a consistent steady level of interest from France. Vive La France!

In 4th is Russia, which blasted up the hits counter from November through December - the marathon live read through of War and Peace mainly responsible. More on that in the next couple days.

In 3rd is good Ol' Blighty, the UK. With several Slow TV productions during 2015 on BBC4 we can assume there will be more to come. Coupled with BBC Research and Development having some discussions with me about Slow TV, it is something I know ought to happen much more.

In 2nd place, is Norway - the motherland of Slow TV as we know it since 2009. I know about 1/3 of the Norwegian tally comes from one solitary link on the NRK website, so it probably ties with the UK in second place. Knowing that NRK have years of Slow TV planned, our friends in Norway will continue to find the Slow TV blog.

In 1st place is the USA. The most accelerated editing paced nation in the world is the most interested in a reduced editing pace format - real time - which is the essence of Slow TV. Hopefully 2016 will see the go ahead and broadcast of a Norwegian format USA Slow TV broadcast which will celebrate 12 hours of an (iconic?) American road journey, in Slow Road Live.

Thanks for visiting the Slow TV blog in 2015 - keep coming back for more in 2016. Should be four new posts in the first week of 2016 alone, with more exciting news from the Slow TV blog as the year progresses.

Happy Slow TV New Year from me, Tim Prevett, at The Slow TV blog.

Wednesday 23 December 2015

All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride - Preview of BBC4 Slow TV

How about this, then. Christmas Eve, 8pm on BBC4 there is some Slow TV. Not a constant stream of re-articulated information, but two hours of steady visuals allowing you take in TV content at a far more organic, natural pace.

The BBC have released some preview footage for "All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride", which indeed looks suitably calming as well as being festive fodder for the moment. 

Keeping in the same format as "All Aboard! The Canal Trip", it looks to be using drone views for an establishing shot, then a single camera front facing with occasional pans for particular views where embedded graphics and information will give the more traditional documentary style of an injection of articulated information.


So, take a look. If you find yourself thinking 'Nothing's happening!' , allow yourself a few minutes longer and see if you become aware of watching TV differently. Maybe keep it on as you do something else. Go on, go on, go on! Give it a try.

Slow TV is more about the experience of watching something, so sit down, relax and have an experience.

More about this BBC4 Slow TV production in an earlier piece.

Slow Television - The Slow TV Blog

Monday 21 December 2015

Jingle Bells! Slow TV Sleigh Ride on BBC4 this Christmas Eve

This year, Christmas Eve TV will have a most welcome addition to ease us into the festive feel. Continuing their exploration of Slow TV, the BBC heads to Norway - the country which first brought us Slow TV broadcasts.

Christmas Eve: think snowy landscapes, reindeer, jingling of bells while (hopefully) settling down to a cosy evening. BBC4 will be giving the opportunity to become mindful of such things - even if it's actually to accompany some last minute present wrapping and preparing the vegetables for Christmas dinner...

Over two hours the camera will show the scenery around Karasjok (for the English tongue, pronounced Karra-shock) in the northern Norwegian county of Finnmark. Like All Aboard! The Canal Trip broadcast in April, All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride will use a single camera to relate a continuous steady journey - the subject this time being a winter wonderland by reindeer and sledge.

Originally cited as being filmed in Finland, the announcement that it was filmed in Norway is a surprise - however Karasjok is only fifteen minutes' drive from the border with Finland (one assumes with snow tyres and fair conditions, being 200 miles into the Arctic Circle).

Taking in an old postal route used by the Sami people of northern Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Kola peninsula of Russia, the documentary experience (for that is one way of understanding Slow TV) will add embedded graphics without voice over and verbal commentary or dramatising music to suggest to us how we ought to be feeling as we watch. The information we take from such a documentary is what we draw from the experience of sharing the journey.

Produced by ITV Studios' The Garden Productions, All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride will be broadcast on BBC4 on 24th December - Christmas Eve - from 8pm to 10pm and will hopefully add to the success of the Slow TV productions in the UK earlier in 2015.

For more Slow TV news, see the most recent newsletter.

The Norwegian creators of Slow TV are planning a week long broadcast of live reindeer migration for 2017; for some analysis of this and how it compares with the BBC 2 hour recorded broadcast, see this vlog I recorded back in September.


Ever wondered how Slow TV began? See this clip from a documentary I made about Slow TV:


Slow Television - The Slow TV Blog


Saturday 19 December 2015

My background (briefly) in Slow TV

Are you looking for an interview about Slow TV? Are you from a production company wanting to develop new Slow TV content? I have a lot of experience in studying, reflecting and developing ideas for Slow TV and Ambient TV with a lot more to come.

Courtesy NRK
In 2014 I had two trips to Norway making a documentary about where Slow TV has come from, what it is and where it's going. 2015 saw that documentary completed, with media interviews and academic conference about Slow TV. 2016 will see my studying and work on Slow TV increase with several projects afoot and experience with BBC Research and Development as we explore aspects of Slow TV further.


Media Interviews
Interviewed on That's Manchester TV, 27th July 2015
Interviewed on BBC Radio Merseyside, 15th May 2015
Interviewed on Norwegian national TV, NRK2, 1st December 2014
Interviewed on BBC Radio Stoke, 1st December 2014

In the Press
The Foreigner, 14th May 2015
Dagbladet, 17th May 2015

Documentary
"That Damned Cow - Just what is Norwegian Slow TV?" (2015, 29 mins)

Academic
Masters Degree in Television Documentary Production from Salford University, MediaCityUK

Presentation of documentary and discussion at the Slow Media Symposium at Bath Spa University, March 2015




Slow TV News and Reviews No. 20 - What is the future of Slow TV?

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 20 - What is the future of Slow TV?

This is the ninth part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part concludes the documentary, exploring the future of Slow TV, as of March 2015.

Thursday 17 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 19 - Why can Slow TV feel so good?

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 19 - Why can Slow TV feel so good?
This is the eigth part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part touches on the 'feel good' dynamic of the Slow TV broadcasts in which people can participate.

Part Nine is, What is the Future of Slow TV?

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 18 - Is Slow TV also Ambient TV?

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 18 - Is Slow TV also Ambient TV?

This is the seventh part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part explores the suggestion that Slow TV is like Ambient TV by means of comparison with ambient music.

Part Eight is, Why can Slow TV Feel so good?

Tuesday 15 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 17 - Is Slow TV relaxing or hypnotic?

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 17 - Is Slow TV relaxing or hypnotic?


This is the sixth part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part explores the common articulation that Slow TV is often found to be relaxing or hypnotic.

Part Seven is, Is Slow TV also Ambient TV?

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Slow TV in Russia - 'Война и мир' - "War and Peace"

voinamir.com - Война и мир - Читаем роман
Russia is hosting a marathon Slow TV event, which begun yesterday and concludes on 11th December. This is not hours of a fire burning, neither a train journey nor a solitary immersive exercise into some visually and aesthetically impressive picture. It is an immense collective participatory read through of Tolstoy's 'Война и мир' - "War and Peace".

This is actually really exciting. Yes, I don't know Russian, I can't read Cyrillic (thank goodness for 'right click - translate to English' in Chrome). This is exciting, as it grabs one of the important strands of Slow TV which some broadcasters either don't yet get or aren't brave enough to dabble in - that of the long, live participation in something of national heritage, identity or culture. A patriotic coming together to celebrate some sense of shared community.

voinamir.com - Война и мир - Читаем роман
The project will feature 1,300 readers over 60 hours from locations all over Russia and the world - each having about three minutes each to read about a page; its website illuminates the potential of such a Slow TV broadcast - which is what catapults it from being an interesting and quirky item in another TV schedule into a televisual event of national and international discussion: 

"This is a novel that covers the life of all social groups in Russia, showing the nation at a critical moment in history. Therefore, readings and plans to attract both professionals: actors, directors, TV and radio, as well as non-professional readers: politicians, athletes, scientists, statesmen, people of different professions, ages, known and unknown, from all corners of our country and around the world. In this way, we show that a large literature unites us all".


voinamir.com - Война и мир - Читаем роман
For those already familiar with previous Slow TV transmissions, the marathon sing through of the Norwegian Hymn Book in 2014 springs to mind - 899 hymns, sung over 60 hours with about 200 choirs and 3,000 participants around Norway and one choir in the USA. This Russian project also throws open the potential of some of the discussion which followed in Norway after Salmeboka: Minutt for Minutt

With the hymn book's obvious Christian link, some suggested what about reading The Bible live? Then what about other writings of other religions? Or even celebrated national authors? Russia doing this stunning literary project should really put the hint to UK broadcasters of participatory, live Slow TV. And you do know 2016 is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death... (nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more).

'War and Peace - We Read the Novel' may help explain the interest this blog gets from Russia. It remains the 4th largest audience for the blog, with April this year seeing Russia top the unique page views by far. In choosing something as uniting as Tolstoy's tome it will be insightful to see what the viewing figures are and how the exercise makes people feel about the sense of their nation and their belonging to it. 

Norway's Slow TV often brings a feel of perceived national identity, and with a postponed American Slow TV production, hopefully in 2016, maybe the USA can create and share the collective experience and identity that Slow TV can bring.

russia.tv
"War and Peace - We Read the Novel" is being broadcast live online HERE with archived segments available, with some segments falling on Russia 1 (Россия 1and Russia K (Россия Кdedicated culture channel also featuring material about War and Peace) and Radio Mayak (Радиомаяк). Look for the hashtag "#войнаимир" on social media.

In the UK, BBC4 will be airing a two hour Slow TV recording on 24th December - lots more here.

In September, Russia Today published an interview with Thomas Hellum, Norwegian producer and one of the innovators of Slow TV:



Slow Television - The Slow TV Blog

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 16 - How can Slow TV affect viewers?

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 16 - How can Slow TV affect viewers?


This is the fifth part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part introduces the realisation that Slow TV affects many viewers in a different way.

Part Six is, Is Slow TV relaxing or hypnotic?

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 15 - What are NRK's criteria for making Slow TV? Documentary Clip

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 15 - What are NRK's criteria for making Slow TV?


This is the fourth part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"

This part looks at NRK's criteria for what it considers to be Slow TV, arguably setting the benchmark for the format.

Part Five is How can Slow TV affect viewers?

Thursday 3 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 14 - How did Slow TV develop? Documentary Clip

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 14 - How did Slow TV develop?


This is the third part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?" 

This part looks at NRK's story and how it developed after the first broadcast of Bergensbanen up to the Hymn Book event in December 2014.

Part Four is What are NRK's Criteria for Making Slow TV?

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 13 - How did Slow TV begin? Documentary Clip

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 13 - How did Slow TV begin?



This is the second part to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?" This part looks at NRK's story and how it started making Slow TV.

Part Three is "The NRK Story:  How did it develop?" (up to 2014)

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 12 - What is Slow TV? Documentary Introduction

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 12 - What is Slow TV?




This is the introduction to a documentary exploring and answering the question, "Just what is Slow TV?"


Interview about Hymn Book Slow TV on BBC Radio Stoke


BBC Radio Stoke interviewed me about the Hymn Book Slow TV event - Salmeboka Minutt for Minutt - live from Norway.

Broadcast around 7:20am GMT (8:20 Norwegian time) on Sunday morning, 30th November 2014.

Slow Television -The Slow TV Blog