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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZFS94yaPl
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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,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaJI0pI1x5
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0JGr4SY2J
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7iR19b5mj
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?41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgBWIPPSPm
“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——41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oz6bRj79m
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYgkc200oP
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnENFDuV4DW
No camera directions.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG52zyHpHoG
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesDq8Oi1Ko
Hands on his lap. Completely still.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mkTf010sY
Deep in thought.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIG2SZRd28l
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——41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlcmSOy1At
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6odBjYcaz
But his shoulders twitched.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwCXgWc2bV
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHPrAtQppA
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojibKVF9dz
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsDnaNPmqy
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRBNjRVWjH
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!41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDclh7gh8no
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARm5CzyGaJ
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,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FfjF8ZwHq
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQYZUXYynC
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkiEmVTOaf
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvneafuobKB
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxHRDfEaEA
Still didn’t lift his head.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJEYPYw0Fd
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoa2rOOYqLx
Just an honest admission from a creator41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBq7YXRB5ve
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lEvyHMbZc
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,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuczWuj8FD
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArzluzagLQ
which angle to shoot from,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBGEqSRNad
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErgAX99dAT
The art lead sketched out framing options.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdDkQm2edQ
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tCJ4rmav4
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2urwzHfp0
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsN93NMxHi0
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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