Monday 11 January 2016

A Norwegian Slow TV Maelstrom in May

A Norwegian Slow TV project for 2016 is a 12 hour live broadcast of a dramatic tidal phenomenon at Saltstraumen, between Knaplundsøya and Straumøya in Bodø in Nordland.

Home to the world’s strongest tidal maelstrom, the effect is generated by the differing water level between the sea and a fjord during the ebbing and flowing of the tide at Saltstraumen. Over six hours 372 million cubic metres of sea water rush through a 150 metres wide and 31 metres deep passage.This will be another Norwegian spectacle to marvel at, another reliably high quality production with cameras on land, drones and from submersibles, it will give another unique TV experience. The view is framed by natural beauty of mountains and the Saltstraum bridge, where will likely be a good viewing point.



The name Saltstraumen refers to a ‘strong stream’ - not a salt stream as one might think, or even ‘Salt Dreams’ (thinking of German words ‘Saltz’ and ‘Traumen’). I’ve witnessed similar churning of the water beneath the Menai Bridge in North Wales as the tide changed on the Menai Strait - or the most famous UK example of a tidal phenomenon would be the River Severn Bore

Combined with the likely live Slow TV climb of the Troll Wall around midsummer and the preproduction research for a week of Slow TV reindeer migration in 2017, NRK continues to reinforce that major broadcast Slow TV needs to be made to the highest production values, meeting technical challenges head on, and that there really are almost no limits as to what Slow TV can cover. Saltstraumen will air on May 7th or 8th. Exact details will be posted when known.

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