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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikMUB1bDmE
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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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEymHGRiCd9
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FBqf2Pd57
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKxijry8Fy
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?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm19XmHs67
“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——15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxnYJBECRl
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtPzfoNXoo
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwftveuXXDL
No camera directions.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgK9HV1HtTb
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeF7Z0avcF
Hands on his lap. Completely still.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57DMUDY0Gh
Deep in thought.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVrDsEzy9k
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——15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqugISX8PSI
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNGX1WVXYF
But his shoulders twitched.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOUgrkg2Di
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIH5Y3fxuA
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlFdyEaWN7
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIRfRsu5Ps
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGdtNA3AKO
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!15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNzJLWDI7O
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8aJEvPCJS
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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRGnu7rmen
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5ZaTuPH7e
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHRuyVyxMY
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUGCFsQsvB
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtSRHsChJk
Still didn’t lift his head.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEd5kwpnzl8
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1fSpCf713
Just an honest admission from a creator15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWHEKafsaF
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtigOQ09lWW
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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kMpthPUMV
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxltP7CXSFK
which angle to shoot from,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATpx1Vgsr3
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4laZOgx7o
The art lead sketched out framing options.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89uVZoDbKu
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUpNnhh6En
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI99Mom8C8D
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzhFCUYcGo
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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