“Everyone's journey, background and stories are their own. Getting to help tell that story is the thing I feel most proud of as an editor.”

Stepping Out of the Editing Comfort Zone

Our premiere episode started off with a cold open where we parodied Squid Games, which is not typical for us. That was particularly challenging to put together. We had to walk the line of parodying the show but having it still be Drag Race. We had to drag up a well-known property but then insert our Drag Race influences, colors and caricature to set the tone for the entire season. It was a different take that we hadn't done before. We pulled influences from the scripted show but also from their competition show that aired the previous year with visual flourishes and graphics, which I did. 

We're setting up an entire competition, 14 individual journeys, and where we're going to take them. We work with our story team. We're trying to milk the drama, find the comedy or the emotion. 

The Editing Approach that Makes the Show Work  

Our editing style has evolved in how we tackle each episode. We dip our toes into different genres because our challenges can be so varied. We have a talent show one day, we'll do celebrity impersonations then next, we'll do a big musical number. We're veering into different styles constantly. It keeps us on our toes and allows us to freshen up the show from episode to episode. 

When we're dealing with different genres, we pull our own music. We have access to our music libraries and a lot of it is research. It's also self-knowledge because we're all pop culture junkies. We're trying to find music to lean into the genres. We'll watch those shows or competitions that we're dragging up to make sure we can lean into the style and then always pulling back and going into Drag Race. 

One of the most useful tools in Media Composer is multi-cam editing. When we do big performance numbers or talent shows, it allows us to watch as a first-time viewer and see what takes our interest, what angle pulls us in what direction, and that allows us to create a base that we can build on. 

You can play the single cut and switch live, see your takes and do trimming afterwards if you want to highlight. You can play the take and have links to other cameras. While it's playing, you can switch live by clicking on different camera angles. The best part is being able to, on the fly, select camera angles to make sure I pick moments that draw my attention. 

One of the best approaches I've learned in reality editing is to think of the scene as a dinner table. Even though one or two queens might be the focus, everyone's still a part of the dinner table. You want to make sure you are visually checking in with everybody to still give them presence to see what they're doing, to make sure the audience knows they're also there and part of what is happening around them. 

The time we spend trying to treat every character, every queen, as a full-fledged character in the story of the competition is something unique to Drag Race. We try not to lose anyone over the course of the season. We try to give everyone a full, well-rounded story arc, no matter if they go home first or they make it to the crown. 

The Power of Shared Creative Vision 

It's incredibly special to get to tell queer stories, which can be rare. There's an ebb and flow to how much that gets presented in media. And as a queer person myself, it's one of those things that I funnel myself into. 

We're 17 seasons in, and a lot of us have now been on the show working together as a small post family for 12+ years. Because we are smaller, we collaborate and know what tone to hit, where to take scenes musically with our scores with the story we're telling. We know where we're going when we start.

From Music Video to Edit Suite 

My inspiration for editing has always been music videos and concerts. I love live performances. Getting to edit lip syncs and performances is that moment where I can live out that fantasy. 

My editing heroes and influences are Jonas Akerlund and Hamish Hamilton. They oversaw lots of concerts that I've probably watched hundreds of times that I've taken things from and tried to inject into my own style or pay homage to the things that meant something to me. 

The thing I like about being an editor is the freedom to explore how to tell a story. In Drag Race, getting to dive into stories maybe we've heard versions of, but then there's always a shift in the story because everyone's journey and background are their own. Getting to help tell that story is the thing I feel most proud of as an editor. 

Learning Avid along the way is an important step. It is the industry standard as far as I'm concerned, and I use it every day. 

Lessons Learned from the Edit Bay 

Something I wish I knew earlier in my career was to just get it on the timeline. Get something out there and continue to mold and work on it. Try not to get stuck on one thing. Build, then go back and refine. 

Be open to taking jobs. Don't do it for pennies. When I was an assistant editor at World of Wonder, I landed on Drag Race and worked with my showrunner. A lot of what I did was just me asking, ‘Hey, got anything else for me to do?’ 

I did music videos, web extras, and I would say, ‘Send it my way. I will take a stab at it. I want to learn. I want to try.’ Once you have your foot in the door, make sure people know you're there and want to work. You want to learn. You’re open to feedback. Leave the ego at the door.  

About the Editor

Michael Roha is an American television editor who has earned four Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Picture Editing for his work on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Nominated nine consecutive years in his role. Edited over 200 episodes across RuPaul’s Drag Race (Seasons 6-17) and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Seasons 2 & 3). Roha is a Los Angeles native, who started working at World of Wonder in 2009 while finishing his editing and visual effects degree. Starting as an assistant editor on Season 5 of Drag Race, he cut supplemental material and music videos for RuPaul, which helped land him his role in editorial on Season 6. A member of the LGBT+ community, Roha strives to tell queer centered stories, highlighting the struggles and perseverance his community faces to provide representation to those voices, and making queer kids and adults feel seen and heard.  Credits include Bring Back My Girls, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Not Today Bianca, and Candidly Nicole.