Spurred by the popularity of the first season of Dellijiet which ends on Tuesday, TV production house Vsquared is to launch a second series of the police drama next April, directors Martina Zammit and Rachel Cachia told The Sunday Times.
Next summer's football World Cup means Dellijiet's second season will be shorter than the first and will run for eight weeks between April and May.
Directed by Frederick Testa with a script by Tristan Meadows, Dellijiet on TVM averaged 134,000 viewers per episode. Zammit and Cachia attribute its popularity to the "great" cast and an original format that involved a new storyline for each episode and a running sub-plot throughout the season.
Vsquared's directors worked hard to find fresh faces for the series and scouted to put together the extensive cast, headed by five main characters. Auditions were held to select aspiring actors but some cast members were even spotted in the street and asked whether they wanted to act on TV.
The production schedule has been gruelling for the Vsquared team and the cast.
"None of the cast members are professional actors so we have to work around them," Zammit and Cachia explained. "All have full-time jobs and scenes have to be shot after 5.30 p.m. on weekdays. Day-time scenes are shot at the weekend. It has worked well because the cast is very committed to the show."
Established just a year ago by the two 26-year-olds, Vsquared has enjoyed remarkable success thanks to TV productions that have struck a chord with Maltese viewers.
Besides Dellijiet, Vsquared is currently responsible for Gadgets, a weekly showcase of latest technology produced by Justin Camilleri, which airs on TVM.
As a sideline, the company has also organised up a small series of courses in TV acting, presenting, filming and video editing to entice more people to venture into TV production.
Zammit and Cachia met three years ago while working for 4People, another production house, becoming firm friends as they shared a common and vision for TV.
Vsquared's first major project was La Farfalla, a drama about two sisters, produced in collaboration with Rewind Productions which aired last summer on One TV. The timing alone, the directors explained, was a significant financial risk. La Farfalla was the first TV series to launch in summer, a relatively quiet season for TV when generating advertising revenues is more challenging as rates are lower. Viewers watched it in droves and the risk paid off.
By its very own nature, TV production is hugely labour-intensive. Zammit, a Communications graduate, and Cachia, who started her career in TV as a trainee with Where's Everybody while at Sixth Form, were so determined to leave their mark in their first year, they worked round-the-clock.
"We are both perfectionists which does not make our lives any easier," the two said. "We spend all of our time on set or in the office editing and perfecting the production. Out of 60 hours of footage we generally select an hour's film. We wanted to launch good quality projects but it meant we slept in the office on numerous occasions. That sofa in reception is actually a sofa bed!"
The two admit they are trying to delegate more to other team members so that Vsquared could be a "more normal" business. Making a living out of what essentially is a hobby is a double-edged sword: Zammit and Cachia enjoy doing what they do best their own way but good ideas are expensive to bring to the screen.
Each production involves considerable outlay for every aspect from actors and locations to prop hire and security. Considerable investment and time is directed to minor special effects.
TV production is also a risky business. Besides working to ensure the final product is of high standard, production houses also have to generate revenue by selling a portion of advertising to accompany the show. It is the one aspect of the business Zammit and Cachia put great effort into but hardly enjoy. In an ideal world, they say, Maltese production houses would concentrate on making TV programmes to sell.
Vsquared has broken even in its first year, the directors said, and things are set to change at the Birkirkara company. With Dellijiet now set for a second run, the company directors will be able to plan a little further ahead. Partly due to station approval timing, Zammit and Cachia set themselves almost impossible deadlines throughout the first season, sometimes shooting scenes for episodes that were to air just days later.
Zammit and Cachia are also toying with the idea of a second season of La Farfalla for which they wrote the original script. Drama, they point out, is one of the safest TV formats. It can be tweaked and perfected so that only the best footage makes the final cut. Audiences respond best to storylines which reflect everyday people's lives.
They admit to sharing a passion for reality TV, a considerably riskier format over which producers have limited control - there are no second takes in reality TV. Both have been involved in Maltese TV's first ventures into the genre and are avid fans of reality shows on Italy's major TV stations. They insist it is not trash TV but a reflection of specific sections of society.
Their own ideas are inspired by real-life occurrences and everyday instances which audiences feel comfortable relating to.
"TV production involves a great deal of passion and commitment," Zammit and Cachia emphasised. "It is not only about what the production team wants to portray but also about the reaction we want to instigate in viewers. Ultimately, we believe the secret to good TV is emotion."