Reindeer Herding with NRK «Slow TV»

Update:

The reindeer herd is moving towards the coast. NRK started broadcasting Monday the 24th of April at 19.45.

The broadcast was delayed due to weather issues. It has been an extremely cold winter with lots of snow in northern Noreay. It is still cold, minus 18 last night, but the reindeer herd is provided extra food in order to manage the migration.

From the 24th of April and until the reindeer herd prepares to swim over Kvaløysundet some 100 kilometers later, a TV team from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) will follow the Herder family and almost 1500 reindeers.

The entire spectacle will be aired live on national TV in a continuous weeklong 24/7 broadcast. A Saami and a Norwegian host will guide viewers through the entire herding process.

NRK has had great success with Slow TV projects over the last few years. This brand of «minute by minute» broadcasting gives the audience a unique experience: The feeling of being present in real time and space.

• Read more about previous Slow TV projects here

Through a reindeer's eyes

Winter has not loosened its grip in Finnmark, the northernmost county in Norway. The TV team is counting on favorable weather conditions as they seek to make the impossible project possible.

At certain points during the broadcast, live transmission from the remote landscape called Finnmarksvidda will be impossible. Thanks to the creative application of technology, NRK will still be able to provide its TV viewers striking pictures between the lake of Iešjávri and the bay of Kvaløysund.

By using drones and a reindeer equipped with a camera, viewers will be able to take part in the journey towards the summer pastures through a reindeer's eyes.

Practical Information

NRK will follow the reindeer herd from the lake of Iešjávri until they are crossing the bay Kvalsundet approximately 100 kilometers further north. The journey is anticipated to last five to seven days.

The broadcast began Sunday, April 24th and concludes when the reindeer herd arrives at its destination. Videos and still images will be provided every day during the journey and can be downloaded through a Dropbox folder made available on request.

Members of the press will have the opportunity to participate in the migration, take photos, and/or conduct interviews at several locations along the route:

• Sennalandet Chapel, which the flock is expected to pass on Monday or Tuesday. NRK will provide a media work room on this location, about an hour’s drive from the Town and Airport of Alta.
• Kvalsundet Bay
• The starting point near Iešjávri