The director confessed he'd never filmed a BL before. What followed was a five-hour-long workshop of shame——just to figure out the sex scene angles.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcktwHb5PFp
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The audition for Guiltbound went surprisingly well.
Though Jiang Zhilin and Shen Yanxing were both actors “recommended” by the clients, there was nothing second-rate about their performance.
Their timing, emotional shifts, even that elusive, barely-there tension—it all felt rehearsed to perfection,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaZXbVCF1Y
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7qbDI2kYS
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNifC2de3f
It was like someone had poked a mutual wavelength.
Then they nodded.
“We’ve known each other since we were kids. Our families are close——childhood friends, basically.”
At that moment, the art lead snapped her notebook shut with a smack.
“I knew it!” she roared, like a prophecy had just come true.
“I told you! That whole ‘look and instantly understand’ thing?36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAqFstXC38
“That’s not acting. That’s telepathy!”
That day, the crew walked out of the audition on a total high.
For a brief moment, they thought the worst was behind them——36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnXXQlHuE2
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXc0LIaHuIe
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcTtiITU37
No camera directions.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxT72uJDlYR
No sign of a start.
Which is how this meeting came to be.
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Everyone was gathered around the conference table.
The director had his head bowed so low, he was practically face-down against the surface.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExjn3eN3bf
Hands on his lap. Completely still.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGuv0f1nk6
Deep in thought.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7s4rq5hS5X
And unmistakably, quietly, giving up.
The screenwriter cracked first. His voice was low, but clearly irritated.
"Sure, the client said we had full control——but that doesn’t mean we can afford to waste time." “What’s the holdup? Why haven’t we started?”
The art lead sipped her coffee through a straw, her tone laced with resentment.
“I’ve mentally played out this scene a million times——36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeKLry7cjE
and we still haven’t shot a thing!”
The manager added, calm but resigned:
“The boss has been blowing up Instagram Stories every single day. I think he’s on the verge of exploding.”
Still, the director didn’t look up.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NLLNScA7o
But his shoulders twitched.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsmqYLwFXZ
Like he was wavering. Or suppressing something.
Five seconds passed in silence.
Then, finally, he exhaled.
“I’ve never——” His voice was too soft. Barely a breeze.
“What?” The screenwriter frowned.
"Louder, please. We’re not the client!" the art lead said, deadpan.
The director finally looked up.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehrIHsHOSq
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgiz5Ch41W
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphxeDjYhLg
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ955Lt4pSN
Time slowed to a crawl.
And then——
“Aaaaaugh!!!”
The director let out a cry of despair and slammed both hands over his face, words spilling out like a busted fire hydrant:
“I did so much research!”
“There are so many types of lube!36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSGy8DM80Q
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHgxME48gz
The angles! The visuals! The audience expectations!!”
“I even downloaded entire SFX packs just to figure out if I should record the moaning live!!”
“And now what? I feel like I’ve been mentally corrupted,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWRKbaNoYO
and I still don’t know how to shoot the damn scene!!”
He collapsed back onto the table, face fully pressed to the surface like he wanted to merge with it.
All that remained in the room was the ticking of the wall clock.
“So that’s what this is about…”
The screenwriter cleared her throat gently.
“To be fair, I didn’t write that part out in detail.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4539Ah7uod
I kind of skipped over all the props…”
“There’s a big difference between writing it down and actually filming it,” the art lead muttered.
The manager nodded, voice calm and measured:
“What the audience wants isn’t just a sexy shot.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOZgUZYgx6
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPt4wozyTva
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwZ3iVTdbd
Still didn’t lift his head.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ovJfmDjlv
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVqWtu5Hr5
Just an honest admission from a creator36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHU4lnQcwWY
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1NrGd26uF
the most awkward—and most sincere—creative meeting in the history of the crew.
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36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCY08nclhTM
They split up the research.
Analyzing what kinds of scenes wouldn’t overwhelm the actors,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpN2iVLxeZ
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV9IV2x688
which angle to shoot from,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwCVmBb6Lc
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNvKpTjyvY
The art lead sketched out framing options.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdFaTlxMVq
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXVKis0SGq
The director took so many notes he went through three pen refills.
The meeting lasted five full hours.
When they finally walked out of the room——
The director looked pale, like he’d just crawled back from a war zone.
The manager’s expression was grim, like he’d just left a military briefing.
The screenwriter shook his head, dazed.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJdtmRujd9
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSS204wZkq
Eyes bright, cheeks flushed—she looked downright radiant.
“This was a journey of self-discovery.” She let out a gentle sigh.
The others all quietly avoided her gaze.
The screenwriter made a mental note:
“Your face really does reflect your soul.” Turns out it’s true.
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