Thursday 26 May 2016

Terms and Conditions apply - The Slow TV way

How long does it take to read the terms and conditions on your mobile phone's apps?

The Norwegian Consumer Council has grasped and used a key concept of Slow TV to make the point that these terms and conditions are absurdly long. The average Norwegian with a smartphone has 33 apps on their phone; to read the T's annd C's for these takes - well - approaching 32 hours.

Slow TV - how long does it take to show something? As long as that certain something lasts.

More here.

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Wednesday 11 May 2016

The Eurovision Song Contest - A Song for Slow TV?

Watching the first semi final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 I was delighted to hear a song which could well be a song for Slow TV. Writing this blog post has caused me to think over Slowness in media, Norway and Eurovision.

Back in 2014, The Common Linnets' song "Calm After the Storm" got my vote - a stand out acoustic country music song - and many others must have felt similar as it came second, behind Conchita Wurst.

Well, this year The Netherlands is back with another fine acoustic number - which on the basis of this first semi final stands out because of that. With a title and chorus of "Slow Down" and a meaning of using a decelerating technique to solve a problem, well, its link to one of the dynamics of Slow Television and Slowness becomes clear.


Relax, take it easy and allow a more organic pace of being enable the way forward to be found.

Eurovision in some respects could be thought of as a form of Slow TV in that it's a long live televised event, but only in that way. If you keep in mind the editing pace - how quickly it's cut between different camera angles - it absolutely is not Slow TV. It is also meticulously planned in camera angles, lighting, stage effects - and everything apart from the voting is worked out in advance.

Now, Norway has a winning formula with NRK's Slow TV - perhaps for a future year someone ought to write a Slow TV song for their Eurovision entry? Norway has so far won three times. The upbeat Eurovision pop of La Det Swinge from Bobbysocks in 1985, Alexander Rybak in 2009 with Fairytale - a little slower - but not as slow as their 1995 winner.

Nocturne from Secret Garden won in 1995. It surely must be the slowest Eurovision winner? Also notable about it, is that it is almost entirely instrumental. Have a look and listen to the below clip; the whole pace of the piece is dreamy - very much at home within the Enya and Clannad school of music. So, you could argue Norway has an antecedent for Slowness in the Eurovision Song Contest.


Remarkably noticeable is the pace of the camera changes, the near static performance of the group and compare the lighting and stage effects with the contest's stimulation-fest of today. You don't have to keep up with the editing - it's relaxed and calming.

Like Slow TV in the mainstream media landscape of today is noticeable with its calmness, Nocturne stands out hugely in the history of Eurovision for its feel. With music writers like Stargate, or A-ha - or someone like Kari Bremnes (not that far from the feel of Nocturne), there are ample world-quality established names who could use Slow TV to inform a Eurovision Song Contest entry. Just a thought.


So, this year, it's The Netherlands to bring something slower to a contest you either love, or love to hate. I don't know which song will get my vote in the end (I loved Armenia and Austria's entries - and haven't heard the other 20 entries yet) - but for the sake of Slowness, this blog celebrates 'Slow Down'. Good luck, Douwe Bob!

Related content: What was so right with Russia's War and Peace Slow TV?

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Sunday 8 May 2016

The Morning After - Saltstraumen

Approaching sunset - The Golden Hour at Saltstraumen - NRK
Well, it's the morning after spending 9 hours watching most of the 12 hour broadcast from Norway, from in, around, over and under the water. That was a very pleasing experience.

There's a lot to say about it. In fact, there's been much to say about Slow TV in the last week. So much afoot.

I'll look to get my review of Saltstraumen Minutt for Minutt here within the next few days, hopefully Monday afternoon or evening, but there is a lot of work to do at the moment! Nevertheless I was pleased to see many of my anticipated highlights came to pass.

The 12 hour programme is available in segments here.

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Saturday 7 May 2016

Anticipated Highlights of Saltstraumen Slow TV

It's here! To view NRK's Saltstraumen live go  >HERE<; if you have problems with that, go via the frontpage www.nrk.no. After broadcast, the 12 hour programme will available in segments here. Home of the world's strongest tidal maelstrom. Look for #nrksaltstraumen on social media.

The broadcast begins May 7th midday Norwegian time (11am BST, 6am eastern US, 3am western US) and continues live for 12 hours on NRK2.

Slow TV is just another way of telling a story on TV. A journey, theme or activity. The big story for Saltstraumen is the tide, from high tide, to low tide back to high tide. There will be lots of small stories which will be woven into that tapestry. Natural events, the wildlife (surface and sub-aquatic) and human interactions with the broadcast. Which stories will you observe or take away with you?

The show starts literally just before high tide at 12:12, at the midway point the low tide is at 18:32. By the next tide it will be dark, at 01:10 the next morning, so the transmission ends at midnight. If it's clear, there will be light until late as the sunsets at 22:20 local time - you can usually squeeze up to another hour after sunset for light for the naked eye when it's clear, so it should fit the broadcast just nicely. It's practically right on new moon, so there will be no moonlight rippling on the water.

WHAT WILL BE THE HIGHLIGHTS?

Expect to see nature in the spectacular - the spectacle of the sea, its motion, the dramatic backdrop of mountains.

Saltstraumen has a large bridge as a centrepiece, one assumes the public has access to this 'platform' as has been the case in previous broadcasts, if that's so expect waving, flags, banners and placards. It's a Saturday, so no one should be late for school, but you never know, there could be marriage proposals, water skiing borat or gorilla - random things which could never have been thought of in previous broadcasts. Expect the unexpected! One Norwegian paper refers to a beach where people run naked across it - jokingly one of the presenters has said he'll do it in his underwear!

Subject to the tide's health and safety, expect boats - again with flags and waving.

Expect immersive long takes - shots with might bore or shock those used to quick paced image change of regular TV but end up giving other stories courtesy of the delayed gratification to take away and savour.

Expect immersive photography - quite literally. Mini submersibles to observe aquatic life and movements have been mentioned by producers in the run up to the broadcast.

Expect mini-stories - the forming and spinning of vortices in the water, behaviour of wildlife going undirected about their own activity, the movement of the sun and its interplay with landscape and landmarks.

If we're blessed with a clear day, we can expect the golden hour approaching sunset. From 9pm local time we could have the deepening colour tones of the sun's light quality, changing colour hues on the water and in the water.

After sunset (if it's clear) the deepening of twilight with crepuscular magic in the natural ambience. If someone could bring a few goats on to Saltstraumen Bridge, perhaps we could even get a troll to come out of its daytime den (cue Otto Jespersen to put in a cameo 'TROLL!';)  ).

Expect a high quality broadcast with high definition images from a variety of cameras, onland, in the water, on the water and in the air, and expect to keep the TV on for longer than you'd planned if you haven't watched Slow TV live before.

Keep an eye on NRK Nordland's Instagram account, I'm sure they'll be putting up their own photos and re-posting others' related pictures. [Nearly two hours into the broadcast - there's been far more activity on Twitter].

MORE NORWEGIAN SLOW TV on the way for 2016!

There are another two Norwegian Slow TV projects around other themes through the summer months. Way way up north there will be birdwatching at Hornøya, very close to the Russian border, around midsummer. If you can't wait until then for a little Norwegian birdwatching, take a look at this project with a live camera on an Eagle's nest.

At the other end of the country, in July over a week there will be daily transmissions from a paddle steamer, Skibladner, from Lake Mjøsa (not far from Oslo Gardermoen airport).

More details to follow on those.

Have a look around The Slow TV Blog.

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Thursday 5 May 2016

New to The Slow TV Blog? Have a look around...

Are you new to The Slow TV Blog? Here are a few things to have a look at, especially if you're viewing on a phone or device which removes the left hand menu.

The Slow TV Blog's purpose.

Click these links to explore what Slow TV is, what Slow TV is not and what Slow TV is also known as.

Click these links for a brief history of the term 'Slow TV' or list of Slow TV broadcasts.

Are you looking for an interview about Slow TVGet in touch via e-mail or look around various social media platforms for ways of getting in touch. If I have a signal, it should be easy! I have done a number of Radio and TV interviews around Slow TV; I have been interviewed on:

* BBC Radio Stoke, December 2014
* NRK2 in Norway, December 2014
* BBC Radio Merseyside, May 2015
* That's TV (Manchester), July 2015
* Strategies magazine (France), April 2016
* BBC Breakfast, April 2016
* BBC Radio Wales - Good Evening Wales, May 2016

See also

* Trailer for my documentary about Slow TV
* I presented about Slow TV at The Slow Media Symposium at Bath Spa University, March 2015

This is an independent blog. Opinions here, unless otherwise clearly attributed, are my own. All original material copyright Tim Prevett. Others' material should be clearly attributed.

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 31 - Interview on BBC Radio Wales


I talk with Peter Johnson and Mai Davies on Good Evening Wales, BBC Radio Wales, 4th May 2016 about Slow TV and Slow Radio.

Slow Television - The Slow TV Blog

Slow TV News and Reviews No. 30 - Interviews on BBC Breakfast



Slow TV News and Reviews No. 30. Slow TV grabbed the attention of BBC Breakfast on Sunday 17th April 2016; I had the chance to go in to talk about Slow TV, with some later input from NRK Producer, Thomas Hellum, who is Project Leader for the 12 hour tidal Slow TV at Saltstraumen on 7th May. I didn't answer one of Naga's question properly, so I've recorded a little addendum to answer that more fully at 08:33!

Slow Television - The Slow TV Blog