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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHwDKouByV
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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,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2zuRTmssV
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHs4L5d27uV
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql9RCTRaS2
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?40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUsUEmZIZh
“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——40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjrdRphQft
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaz9iTMnQGp
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvu3BOWW84
No camera directions.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoI4HsWvdyS
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpoDviSDPy
Hands on his lap. Completely still.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyJEaA4rX0
Deep in thought.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjuain8KGx
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——40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyfvEoQr33
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDek4MZvEIp
But his shoulders twitched.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVurmIUjcv
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonxv87Fd4L
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw629lBsZyC
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ489UxlXl6U
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JgYYUaYd5
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!40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqyDLRsp3q
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eOsDL5ISA
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,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvhSBSSc5n
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyCYqrxMwv
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VtF2IwULh
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NItm9CbCh
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0otow4rhLd
Still didn’t lift his head.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBOY64IWRw
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2cKTc2Msw
Just an honest admission from a creator40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn4pbxVrgI
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kJ4blCnk7
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,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vzpGc5JEF
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAHf0uQegw
which angle to shoot from,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN20P6HgBW
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BvreQy7gJ
The art lead sketched out framing options.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5Wf9j0zZD
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0OeS6uy6J
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkqia3il8K
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkldFlnJUsW
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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