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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcy5meMMXm
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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,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnJpzJesR7
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKestnA5Nb
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLc7tDV6XG
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?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDywbBPY4d
“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——9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJ8lBVq01m
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOPr3c7eUx
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hzxHjQN9G
No camera directions.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc4XtXk8So
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVTaiHYoL9
Hands on his lap. Completely still.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRfEJOY8lB
Deep in thought.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxY7hsFPX4
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——9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMKbKTmrRa
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVE5KT2tnb
But his shoulders twitched.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLaZtBE93m
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLY2VnCZKDl
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡios2fWfwSm
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVXLyZncoX
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOabB1fZx6
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!9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6So66U1mdU
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9r1qtfXXk
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,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPNBBlC5N5
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuX7EwAZnMs
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdRqj4AhYm
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UtTe2A0sG
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡza34tCNz54
Still didn’t lift his head.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuODQl1NZ1
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsXqNAUDCZ
Just an honest admission from a creator9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1jnT6wAOE
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyBv3coz2R
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,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsgEycMr1b
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMjSFy0tBr
which angle to shoot from,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLarW5v5mP4
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxOs9168uo
The art lead sketched out framing options.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoeo6Jo1TK
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzsRu8DKWR
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHDdYOiQy2
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7uFXHSpVd
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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