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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZ4g2ycBIt
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dMuRrvThe
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVCJpjxbO8
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwVvYXueFk
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVH8b0boSs
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERWBPmtUVK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAQ5tFsFsE
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPA3tlgbXj
No camera directions.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2IpC0oV3x
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeDc6IH5ri
Hands on his lap. Completely still.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCqzCU7cMP
Deep in thought.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRjdwZYM0F
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdLBwJlFAK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbAECFUeNg
But his shoulders twitched.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGasmW5BitG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy8GC4VVef
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMK1FYxsCZp
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwn7CMiMcR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3XDwUyLEL
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujJcToDy9o
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm6Ug6Eogw
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6yqpFpK08
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAll3t6Lb14
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQe6LoEmdFd
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeyGn64zPy
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1QCLnd9UU
Still didn’t lift his head.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJuJ88mNrf
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAisqOKwgk
Just an honest admission from a creator32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X3YeiAPDV
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2FihESgYC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQGWuFJyEj
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboPXsGLt6t
which angle to shoot from,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjdDQcqyD4
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnV1pouCtO
The art lead sketched out framing options.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9cvUrnY62
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJGf73slw3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22bgqu4kWA
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXGEwq4u8U
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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