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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBPx1nSe2V
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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,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQtkU3XrEs
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXVuuO6Wgv
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD8ZfX4KBp
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?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuuPVftFma
“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——37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphBBR77H54
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdU7kU3jWfd
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZzSCzsJth
No camera directions.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj2qfEbvqI
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9ubPRrqRK
Hands on his lap. Completely still.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk6ezOJ9gl
Deep in thought.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3JGb7gIoS
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——37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAth8gaCFsJ
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeQItG2F6R
But his shoulders twitched.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYvYDFzhL2
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqs6eJ5Aefx
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47i9CbSrXE
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKQAHWRJtr
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIyyLKJ1nz
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!37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eIq84i1Eo
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosiW5Un3t4
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,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZzpr7g5PK
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM5Axkakg0
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEPGZ0DT1H
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4E9SucScCx
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhV2tcRN2I
Still didn’t lift his head.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNGpVxlSy3
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3Vhyg31dP
Just an honest admission from a creator37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRWZKiM8jg
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gAxLmMWtd
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,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR4AI4eVOD
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXA6d3SDL1
which angle to shoot from,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AT3Ocqv9u
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXrDBbOPSq
The art lead sketched out framing options.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllZ8tVHvfv
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxtx4dwzIY
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1iEi7fW02
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95WoyqKO6K
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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