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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzXeMxMNpc
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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,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlNGjINlDh
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQ42bHyDX1
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKSNrs2g8b
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?22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZAcejdR6C
“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——22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8m1NFvtPEd
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBP8nH3K8pD
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj925jfeIN
No camera directions.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eE3cmu8UG
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdcvlgNUYt
Hands on his lap. Completely still.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83XqUJ3LrI
Deep in thought.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYEDr5m14J
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——22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ8VxPv08c
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx045akrH95
But his shoulders twitched.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7J1e4FOuR
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCjmhTAAV1
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCuPhnydtO
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndUnZEus4m
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mF2tK6XEb
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!22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUOjsA1KMc
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrryrWcPjC
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,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskiUUUksgp
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNe653TQwx
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1gvxnwQJL
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNC8nthW86
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZMUIhDOd9
Still didn’t lift his head.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BMidJWTPO
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdehHNwb9W
Just an honest admission from a creator22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTcmz6bTml
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRJcOr6Gvo
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,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpuBXyb7Oz
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqsWkwjYjb
which angle to shoot from,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJ7OUbFugI
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjhZKjIrFX
The art lead sketched out framing options.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTMXBRfGUP
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrSvDmVUTb
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvVfRGJlkJ
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLWJzahT02
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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