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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ64tXFOdVx
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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,39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fA1k9IawN
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLxHdqpvM4
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunbaxyKyUx
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?39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnaZrfYeTf
“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——39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J2DPDA6yB
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9kJWwAOln
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTs8t4uTk3
No camera directions.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUohX8K3oTu
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmVU8vO2h7
Hands on his lap. Completely still.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85sfEe9RFz
Deep in thought.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2Ewb599w9
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——39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtJSOzmywG
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwWLDdSvjx
But his shoulders twitched.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0V3Ih2mIq
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K5CbvDCEW
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrHnVXvkI7
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUu7rCPbGCn
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR91ypwBU2
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!39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUx7rnmTz0
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhETLDKLrD
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,39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dT5hV8KHw
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h1Cx3GPix
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSpYlMdlDU
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI47vGpFMv
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36nnilI9r3
Still didn’t lift his head.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVmMeAc17L
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2xFTnvccf
Just an honest admission from a creator39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2oVn4vZfH
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJyWlK7Cr6
the most awkward—and most sincere—creative meeting in the history of the crew.
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They split up the research.
Analyzing what kinds of scenes wouldn’t overwhelm the actors,39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5MwVgIDoJ
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlcAFv56Nz
which angle to shoot from,39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D2MAA7uTs
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaIQdtXM7M
The art lead sketched out framing options.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOgHrPICtW
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjYWjrto6G
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJjjkTGvJh
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr82qkb3pi
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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