Cristina Rodríguez writes, directs and scores Almost Out Loud herself
Behind Almost Out Loud, Cristina Rodríguez writes the story, directs AI-assisted shots, edits the episodes and creates the original soundtrack.
Before a scene of Almost Out Loud becomes a video, Cristina Rodríguez has to know what Mara and Leah are feeling and what they are willing to reveal. She develops the scene, writes its dialogue and decides where its emotional turn should land. Only then does she begin making the images.
Cristina is the creator, writer, director, editor and composer of the independent WLW series. Its story follows two women with a shared past who unexpectedly become neighbours. Their romance relies on details that can be easy to miss: a look held a moment longer, a joke that exposes too much or a pause where an answer should be.
To create those moments, Cristina uses AI-assisted image and video tools, giving detailed direction for individual shots. She decides how a scene is framed, where Mara and Leah stand, and how their actions should convey the feelings beneath the dialogue. She then assembles the footage, shapes its pace, adds sound and incorporates the music she composes and produces.
Keeping the characters consistent is a considerable part of that work. Mara and Leah need to look like the same people across different shots and episodes, with recognisable faces, builds, height and clothing. Cristina uses reusable reference images to guide the process, but says individual shots often have to be generated several times before she can use them.
The soundtrack gives her another way to express what the characters cannot yet say. Cristina’s music belongs to the same story she writes and directs, and viewers have begun listening to it away from the series. Some have sent her photographs of themselves enjoying the songs; others have asked for sheet music to play them.
Cristina, who is based in Calpe, Spain, previously helped organise Olagirls, the Lesbian Mediterranean Festival, and served as Spain country lead for Queeraz, a queer dating and community app.
Almost Out Loud brings her storytelling and music together in a romance she oversees from the first written scene to the final edit.
The finished story is already underway. Episode one, Wonderland Next Door, is available in full, while episode two is continuing through new scenes.
Watch Almost Out Loud on YouTube and subscribe to the series channel for new scenes. Follow the production on Instagram and TikTok, and hear Cristina’s original music on Spotify.
Images: Almost Out Loud.
