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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEptwQTtIw
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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,54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMJJxjjdUm
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5bqDBHkAg
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQksKCHNHi
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?54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHUJCUbhkP
“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——54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYpErnanJD
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ731x1EmRCq
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYg8thdypW
No camera directions.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFCvxBabVW
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL2DfYBKOP
Hands on his lap. Completely still.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpcKwhzltP
Deep in thought.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZSSPTPtXI
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——54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDjtRRBqWT
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHm8Ear1h3y
But his shoulders twitched.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkwRP4ZAz0
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSVKXvqGws
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUmrizjKVK
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9FDCBYZG8
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgQA75zC3L
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!54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjO1hdxR2H
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM690Zpsxjh
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,54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDVn3pWzyQ
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutZCPRkSf7
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQcoBxhbax
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrxjHukeqq
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufHMQDYsFy
Still didn’t lift his head.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKmk0XjcRS
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdI5dM8wXA
Just an honest admission from a creator54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYeBO2N6Eq
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtkJYS7Vo3
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,54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBsQt4Nmoz
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0bmA020zy
which angle to shoot from,54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt14Whwe9Nu
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOjiCKR4ia
The art lead sketched out framing options.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgnzs9HV7P
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq5bsINcJz
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.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpztAtqm45Q
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4K1GJoTcrL
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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