How I Cut Performance Like It’s Dialogue

GRM Daily – Together We Rise (2020)

Music Documentary Series | Series Editor | Warner / YouTube

Here’s a secret I use on every tour doc, every concert cut, every music-based feature I’ve ever worked on:

I treat performance like it’s dialogue.

Because what is a performance, really?

It’s a conversation — between the artist and the audience.

Between verse and chorus.

Between tension and release.

So I approach each song like a scene.

What’s the tone of this one?

Where’s the arc?

Is there a turn in the middle?

Do we need a reaction shot here, like we’d cut to a listener in a dramatic scene?

In dialogue scenes, we cut to a reaction because it tells us how to feel.

Why would performance be any different?

That’s why fan reactions, bandmates’ glances, or even a moment of stillness mid-song can be the edit that elevates everything.

It’s not about music videos. It’s about emotional clarity.

When I cut with that mindset — performance becomes story.