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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFz26LlooW
93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DvCmJ0X7m
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,93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIyQ46Gy2n
and yet, absurdly natural.
The director initially thought it was a fluke.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5Aab4ekpZ
That is, until he asked:
“Have you two worked together before?”
The two men exchanged a glance.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AnZiB2uPS
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?93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4Alk8JvUa
“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——93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFCciZOn1a
the grueling prep, the mental breakdowns, the nightmare of pulling a shoot structure together in a single day.
But one day passed.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RSOHRqja5
And the go-ahead never came.
No call sheet.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkIa8cyx3b
No camera directions.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgl5PpSXSg
No sign of a start.
Which is how this meeting came to be.
93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbHpxB8t7P
93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOLMdzAPDF
Everyone was gathered around the conference table.
The director had his head bowed so low, he was practically face-down against the surface.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ts05AO6j3
Hands on his lap. Completely still.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUZZ4tSVWF
Deep in thought.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvJgPb40cU
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——93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt30dlyKcLM
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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP1ue7iphG
But his shoulders twitched.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Q2Wp7smrj
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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp7WScUZhg
Face flushed like he’d just run an 800-meter.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRg9OLrD9n
Sweat on his brow. Eyes full of hesitation.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3jcwrJyqM
Then suddenly—like he couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“I said——I’ve never filmed a BL before!!”
The air froze.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeqWzWFYPb
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!93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeJ4s7T40Q
Saliva, Vaseline, body wash, actual lube—I couldn’t even pick one!”
“And the prep! The cleaning! The stretching!93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkoJNMeEyu
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,93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqSa5lEETD
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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R7cEyUUe6
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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WKHPejcHg
It’s tension that feels real—something that makes the scene convincing.”
“Right now, the problem isn’t that you can’t shoot it.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEjKPWkF6e
It’s that you don’t know how to make it both believable and beautiful.”
The director nodded again.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZjaii3Ohu
Still didn’t lift his head.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMjYy8uEQh
But everyone understood.
This wasn’t some unspeakable shame.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaNDCNKQYa
Just an honest admission from a creator93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0rW5Bt4aK
facing a story he didn’t yet know how to handle.
And so began what would become93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDveczoMCxx
the most awkward—and most sincere—creative meeting in the history of the crew.
93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡew0h1E2hKl
93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuTtmomCNv
They split up the research.
Analyzing what kinds of scenes wouldn’t overwhelm the actors,93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDlbJ0ozJK
what kind of movements could hold emotion without slipping into something pornographic.
Even the lighting——93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaPIyjpN0e
which angle to shoot from,93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0gteY14Pv
to avoid making it all look like a cheap adult film.
The manager laid out a timeline.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bDQTHIF6J
The art lead sketched out framing options.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDoICFEGVL
The screenwriter rewrote parts of the scene flow.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8BNLNhqbJ
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.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ieBRYEdQ9
“Why the hell are there so many names for these positions…?”
Only the art lead was positively glowing.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgi6P1H1mD
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.
ns216.73.216.139da2
and then Add to home screen.