raw · 2011-06-19 23:58
If you follow me on Twitter, I’ll have banged on about NRK’s live broadcast of an entire 144 hour Nordic coastal voyage on the Hurtigruten ship MS Nordnorge. It’s brilliant. Entrancing.
But what I really really like is their tone of voice. They’re happy to just let the ship tell its story by being and doing. Occasionally they’ll interview someone, or show some archive footage (I particularly love the map which has the archive mapped to a place rather than a time), or they’ll play some music, but most of the time it’s just you and the view from the ship. It’s relaxing and beautiful TV. It’s raw, only just curated and edited. Port docking becomes an exciting experience, just as it must be onboard, especially with local residents all turning up.
The tone of voice is echoed in their blogging. They describe the experience as “like watching paint dry”. It’s sharp, self-effacing, witty and smart on what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. The attitude to media broadcasting and content is revolutionary and their interaction with the audience is exemplary.
I don’t want it to end. I’m already sad that it’s halfway through, but the 24 hour sun keeps me happy.
Paul said to me that only a public state-run broadcaster could try something like this. It’s true. I wonder what the BBC could do if it turned its attention to breaking new ground and trying new things.
(all photos by NRK, and in its spirit this post is CC Attribution-ShareAlike licensed)