Table For Two - Chapter 217：The Apology (15)

One of the successful formula for the series was because it featured normal people that were married to celebrities. There was a mysterious allure to that. Furthermore, the viewers would be able to see a different side to their favourite celebrities, meaning they could watch how their idols act around their family. They shed the persona they put on before the public and carry themselves like a normal person would in a family setting.

Of course, like all reality tv, there was some staging and acting involved but it was deemed more natural than having couples that were both celebrities. The whole thing would feel like a publicity stunt and that would understandably turn off some of the viewers.

The term reality tv was an oxymoron, the viewers knew they were staged but they still looked for that sense of naturalness and authenticity.

In any case, this was why the station and producers had been facing problems in terms of casting. While many stars might appear to expose themselves in front of the camera, their counterpart that had no interest of pursuing a career in entertainment was less willing. That was why there hadn’t been a second season despite the public interest and promised rating… well, at least until Joann came along with the proposal.

She came up with the idea after the talk with Xiu Ling and the name of the series was actually inspired by what her best friend said.

She approached one of the directors that she trusted and offered to do such a series. The only caveat was, she was given a say in the editing and they did not tell her husband that she would be part of the production.

The production team was understandably confused by her demands but technically, they weren’t that difficult to fulfill. They were curious but not unreasonable. As stars, they had a stake in their public image so her first request was understandable. Normally, the production team would not allow something like this but since they were desperate for a series to be shot, they were willing to look past it this time.

Joann’s second request was just a huge befuddlement to them. However, since the work would not be affected by keeping this secret, they agreed to it readily.

Xu Jing read through the contract and as surprised as he was, he was willing to agree to everything but one. One particular clause gave him a small pause.

Since the production team was working with just one couple, they did not have the budget to ferry them to some idyllic village. Instead they were going to use Xu Jing and Joann’s home as the set.

Xu Jing would have agreed easily if they were shooting at a hotel or some undisclosed location that would not affect the life of other people but since they were going to intrude not only into his life but that of his family’s, he had his worries.

He voiced this concern and Joann could see things from his perspective, which was why before he even brought up that concern, she had already discussed with details with her mother-in-law and daughter. Mrs. Xu and Sylvia were willing to make some compromises for the sake of their marriage. Mrs. Lin would stay longer at the company and go for more overseas meetings and Sylvia would take up more cases during this period. Of course, if they wished to appear before the camera, that was more than welcomed as well.

Since that detail had been ironed out, there was nothing holding Xu Jing back. He signed the contract and that was how we found Xu Jing and Joann being ushered into their house’s living room by the director.

Even though their house was used as the set, this did not mean that the cameras were set up everywhere, the production team was not that rude. The focus of their shoot was at the living room, main bedroom, kitchen and the guest bedroom was cordoned off as the space for confessionals.

Following the recent trend, The Call of Joy was going to be a semi-live online show. Since it was going to have a mainly online release, the show would reach the audience while the shooting was still going on. To put it simply, they might be shooting Episode 4 when Episode 2 was being aired on the internet.

This had its own pros and cons. The cons were mostly about the lack of time. Since they had to rush a release, the production and editing team would not have the leisure to edit the footage slowly. The pros was since the show was still ongoing when the episodes were released, the progression could be tailored according to the reception received from the audience.

“Thank you for the hard work today, Miss Joann and Mr. Xu Jing, we got some really good cuts,” The director said as he asked his two leads to sit on the living room sofa. They were going to have a crew meeting to discuss the responses and replies from the audience.

“You’re too kind, Mr. Director. You’ve put in great effort as well.” Joann who was familiar with such setting, was great at socialization. In comparison, Xu Jing was much more wooden and awkward, it was no fault of the man of course. He was practically thrown into this arena without any time for preparation.

At least he had gotten more natural compared to the very beginning where he would stutter in front of the camera. Now that they were half way into the series, he had started to get the hang of it.

“The reception for the recent episodes has been amazing. We’re consistently at the top of the popularity and viewership ranking,” The director said as he pulled over some documents. The Call of Joy, as the station expected, had been a runaway success.

Joann still had her star power to pull in the audience and they found her husband who rarely appeared in public eye to be quite charming.