NRK Summer 2021 - Sommerskuta Slow TV

If you're needing a sense of travel, adventure and wider horizons, there is a chance for a six week journey around Norway this summer - albeit courtesy of TV.

This summer's Slow TV project from Norway's NRK broadcaster comes courtesy of a magnificent sailing ship, the "Statsraad Lemkuhl".*

Over the six weeks, the 107 year old vessel sails from North Cape on the 6th of July, arriving on the 15th August in Arendal. Sights along the way obviously feature pretty much the entire Norwegian coastline with 29 stops, with a brief call in on Lerwick, Shetland. Yes, for the very first time Norwegian Slow TV actually physically arrives in the UK.

The Statsraaden is the largest sailing vessel in Norway, 98 metres long, 48 metres tall on the highest of its three masts,  a veritable festival of sea-faring elegance. With it taking in nearly all of the Norwegian coast, there will no doubt be opportunity for some jaw-dropping views and romantic sea-faring aesthetics.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Seilskipet Statsraad Lehmkuhl (@statsraad_lehmkuhl)

 

The crew will also consist of volunteers who were able to apply to take part in the project.

It is now a fine Slow TV tradition in Norway for people to turn up waving and putting all sorts of fun and entertainment before the cameras; obviously we are now in a pandemic. The public are being encouraged to wave and participate from where they are, and not to gather en masse in quays and harbours. There will less content broadcast in the evenings than usual to discourage crowds from gathering.

Nevertheless, this won't discourage people from waving flags, having signs saying "Hei Mom", waterski-ing Borats and Gorillas. The code is staying distanced on land, or if a flotilla of smaller ships muster to greet the Statsraaden, then for people to use their own boats.

There are four days scheduled at sea; timings are contingent upon favourable weather. List of dates as they stand on 14th June, courtesy of NRK are:

1. Havøysund 6.-7. July
2. Øksfjord 8 July
3. Hansnes 9 July
4. Senjahopen July 10
5. Andenes 13 July
6. Myre July 14th
7. Melbu July 15th
8. Stamsund 16 July
9. Værøy 17 July
10. Kjerringøy 18 July
11. Selsøyvik 20 July
12. At sea (west of Brønnøysund) 21 July
13. Bessaker July 22nd
14. Kyrksæterøra 23 July
15. Langøy 24 July
16. Brattvåg 25 July
17. Sell ​​July 27th
18. Askvoll 28 July
19. At sea (west of Fedje) 29 July
20. Lerwick (Shetland) July 30th
21. At sea (west of Bergen) 31 July
22. Strusshamn 1 Aug. 
23. Rubbestadneset 3. aug.
24. Kopervik 4. aug.
25. Lysebotn 5. aug. 
26. Sirevåg 6 Aug. 
27. Båly 7. aug.
28. Bredalsholmen 8. aug.
29. Helgeroa 10. aug.
30. Holmestrand 11 Aug.
31. Full 12 Aug.
32. Skjærhalden 13 Aug.
33. Stavern 14 Aug.
34. Bratteklev 15 Aug.

For more about the Statsraaden, see their website (English version).

The Slow TV project will also have central themes of the environment and sustainability, with the Statsraaden being "...the world's most environmentally friendly sailing ship in its class. The wind is the engine for 60 to 70 percent of the time. In addition, a new battery has been installed that ensures electric operation to and from the quay and reduces other fuel emissions."

The Slow TV Blog will be following the voyage with great interest, as it shows Norway to the world, connects people and communities, telling good stories and giving us those sublime Slow TV moments.

Credit to this NRK article as principal source.

Image of Statsraaden in Shetland by Ronnie Robertson, used with the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

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Slow TV is More Than a Webcam - #2

Outside Broadcast Gallery - NRK Monsen Minutt for Minutt
Image Credit NRK

This is a better view of the custom Outside Broadcast Gallery, as featured in this Summer's NRK Slow TV season with Lars Monsen.

You can clearly see the different camera angles with the set up on both back-packs, aerials, minus the sun screens. (See the other view here).  

Innovation, pushing yourself, overcoming challenges. 

I am aware that I may be disregarding times when Slow TV can be a single camera angle or a webcam, so I am reflecting on how I show that here.

But bear in mind Norwegian Slow TV didn't get established and make Slow TV 'a thing' without lots of thought and production quality.

Credit to NRK for the image.

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Slow TV is More Than a Webcam - #1

Boldly going where TV hasn't gone before - 
it's an Outside Broadcast Gallery, but not as we know it
Image Credit NRK

If I asked you to picture an outside broadcast gallery for allowing the curation of the best images and sound, and allowing them to be transmitted into the required media channel, you would probably picture a big truck with a long desk with faders, buttons, screens and lots of production crew standing or sliding around on rolling chairs.

This here is the outside broadcast gallery with two backpacks for four weeks of Slow TV with Lars Monsen walking out in various Norwegian wildernesses. Especially designed and constructed for the project (and I am confident  will show up for future projects).

The backpack with the canopy contains the multiple video streams from different cameras allowing the producer (who often walks much closer behind) to select the image to transmit. There is also the frame with aerials to transmit signals among the crew and relate the broadcast signal to triangulation transmitters on mountain tops nearby to get the images to the national TV network.

The gallery backpack and producer's backpack also have vents to help keep the electronics cool and drip-pipes to allow for any condensation to exit.

Norwegian Slow TV has required innovation to make it happen. We'll see much more of this backpack and ensemble in future posts.

Credit to NRK for the image.

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NRK Sommer - Lars Monsen Minute by Minute

NRK Sommer 2018 - Hardangervidda - Image NRK

And so it has begun. The NRK Summer 2018 Slow TV schedule with Lars Monsen - this year it's live hiking in a number of Norwegian wildernesses. I love this stuff. Slow TV as only NRK do. More about "the how" tomorrow.

Over the next four weeks there will be live TV shows in the daytime. In the evenings, it becomes summertime from places on the road, in the same way as in previous years. It will be Slow TV during the day and show with guests, artists and audiences in the summertime in new places every night. Watch the transmission over the internet HERE.

"I am looking forward to it! Nature experiences are about a good time. Transmitting mountain tours minute by minute is simply brilliant", says Lars Monsen.

Once more NRK stretches Slow TV to something new, pushing broadcasting boundaries. The project manager is again Thomas Hellum, who has been at the centre of slow television, both by train and boat so far. And now by hiking.

NRK Sommer 2018 - Hardangervidda - Image NRK

Earlier in 2018, understating the task Thomas Hellum points out, "To transmit directly, minute by minute, from mountain areas where barely mobile coverage is mildly challenging".

Lars Monsen is keen on the fact that very many may want to go hiking with him and NRK. Could it be we could have a long time of struggling to light a fire with damp kindling? "In a regular TV show, maybe we only show five seconds when I light up a fire. Here we can risk it takes an hour... People will understand more", Monsen says.

Everything must be carried, too. While the previous Slow TV broadcasts have meant long journeys and far distances, everything becomes different when moving on foot and the equipment must be worn.

"On the map, our travels are only a few small lines this summer. Nevertheless, we will showcase unique mountain and hiking areas. We Norwegians love the walking culture in the mountains, and we are looking forward to displaying the Norwegian Mountain World as live broadcast television", says NRK Project Manager Thomas Hellum.

So, if wet kindling and televised walking in the rain doesn't dampen your spirits, brace yourselves for several weeks of Walking with Slow TV this summer.

Week 1: 12-15 July Hardangervidda

Week 2: 18-22 July Jotunheimen

Week 3: 25-29 July Vesterålen

Week 4: 1 - 5 August Indre Troms

Hardangervidda:

• Thursday 12.7: Monsen goes from Dyranut to Stigstuv. 
• Friday 13.7: Monsen goes from Stigstuv to Rauhelleren.
• Saturday 14.7: Monsen goes from Rauhelleren to Heinseter.
• Sunday 15.7: Monsen goes from Hein to Tuva.

Jotunheimen:

• Wednesday 18.7: Monsen goes from Bøvertun to Sognefjellshytta.
• Thursday 19.7: Monsen goes from Sognefjellshytta to Fannaråken.
• Friday 20.7: Monsen goes from Fannaråken to Skogadalsbøen. 
• Saturday 21.7: Monsen goes from Skogadalsbøen to the tent camp in the Flesdal valley.
• Sunday 22.7: Monsen goes from Flesdal to Øvre Årdal. 

Vesterålen:

• Wednesday 25.7: Monsen goes from Nyksund to Stø over the mountain.
• Thursday 26.7: Monsen goes from Stø back to Nyksund along the coast.
• Friday 27.7: Monsen crosses Breitinden to Guvåghytta. 
• Saturday 28.7: Monsen crosses Lynghaugtinden to the tent camp at Korselva. 
• Sunday 29.7: Monsen goes from the tent camp at Korselva over to Bø. 

Indre Troms:

• Wednesday 1.8: Monsen goes from Rostadalen to the tent camp in the Isdalen valley.
• Thursday 2.8: Monsen goes from Isdalen to Gappohytta.
• Friday 3.8: Monsen goes from Gappohytta to Goldahytta.
• Saturday 4.8: Monsen is a day trip from Goldahytta to Treriksrøysa. 
• Sunday 5.8: Monsen goes from Goldahytta to Gálggojávri. 

NRK Sommer 2018 - Hardangervidda - Image NRK

Above information shortened from the main NRK post (in Norwegian) HERE.

Norwegian Tourist Board information (in Norwegian) HERE.

Many thanks to livnomes on Instagram for bringing this Slow TV project to The Slow TV Blog's attention, and also to Albert Solberg, also on Instagram for reminders.

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New to The Slow TV Blog? See social media links, notable internal links or to get in touch, the media centre page.

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Skibladner - Paddle Steamer Slow TV

"Skibladner" is the name of a ship and as a Slow TV show, a week on and around the historic paddle steamer on the big lake Mjøsa not that far north from Oslo Gardermoen airport.

There is minute by minute broadcast daytime from 09.30 to 14.00 local time (08:30 to 13:00 BST), and an evening show as well as on radio, from Tuesday 12th July to Saturday 16th. More details about timings and the route (which includes several stops) in Norwegian HERE (if you don't know Norwegian, in Chrome, right click and set 'translate to...' whichever language is your default language.

You can watch live HERE during the transmission.

Lots of opportunities for interaction.An active Facebook page HERE for Skibladner and another for NRK Hedmark op Oppland, and Instagram feed for NRK Hedmark op Oppland HERE.

Hashtags to watch are #Skibladner, #MinuttForMinutt (Minute by Minute), and #NRKSommer.

There's already been a choir and lots of flag waving, and lots of following boats. A wide array of high quality camera angles of the scenery, people, the boat and the journey. It continues as a celebration of everyday activities and journeys. This will be Norwegian Slow TV as we know (and love) it.

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

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