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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5mGKbQja7
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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,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKylNFJSztC
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuVKiUeEB3
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZnY0xJVil
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?32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6UWP1ICAT
“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——32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjX284oglf
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIP43WPg5u
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5ZhS7To4u
No camera directions.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbJAWRayfO
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bP8DTTUqj
Hands on his lap. Completely still.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEWloobdzE
Deep in thought.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07WDtRpOPI
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——32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZa2fYmEt6
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKogOaGCIie
But his shoulders twitched.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpe5b6NB5G
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8lE1BBamo
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkT1SxhQQqe
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVjyX20F5O
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjJIetgnQn
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!32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa89TdqGTn
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekInDREVnh
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,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOs0u0DVD6
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUInZSxIYN
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs91oaI2WCG
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8UEaZYQjX
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCyNskPGaT
Still didn’t lift his head.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8QqG5LudK
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoS5xAA3oQN
Just an honest admission from a creator32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3ErgRRwnD
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgJKc68G87
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,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxapWrhQOf
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqyVaa23XD
which angle to shoot from,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlcL3n7Amr
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskAQa3XTez
The art lead sketched out framing options.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnV6QUdknq
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvCec7RCdh
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32AH1SUkrb
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6uzIn6loL
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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