‘Severance’ editor had never cut a music video before viral season two marching band scene

The editor behind the viral marching band scene in Severance season two revealed he had never cut a music video before working on the sequence.

Arriving during the final episode, titled Cold Harbour, when Mark S. (Adam Scott) completes the Cold Harbour file, he receives a celebration from Milchick (Tramell Tillman) in the form of a marching band. The moment became a highlight of the season finale and was recreated by Tillman at an Apple TV+ panel during PaleyFest 2025 in March.

Editor Geoff Richman, one of three editors on the show, had the job of cutting the finale. “I was terrified of the marching band scene going in” he confessed to Variety. Shot over four days, the sequence had what Richman describes as a “sea of footage”. “I’d never cut a music video before” he said. “It’s like, we want to enjoy the marching band, but we also need to keep the story moving forward”.

He continued: “On top of that, within the scenes, keeping track of our main characters. What we did is after the first song, we dropped in this beat with Jame (Michael Siberry) entering this viewing suite, and then also a check-in with Cecily (Sandra Bernhard) and Gemma (Dichen Lachman) heading to Cold Harbour. It’s this stark reminder that this is happening. That the final test is going to happen, and Mark has to get out of there”.

When talking about how the sequence stands out from the rest of the episode, he explained: “We don’t even play the sound. It’s literally just jump cuts, band, no sound, no dialogue, and you see him even saying stuff, but you don’t hear it. That was our way in the edit of going up to the next level and having something that’s different than anything we saw before”.

Severance season two was a hit with fans and critics alike, with NME’s five-star review calling it “the smartest thing on TV”. Shortly after the season’s end, Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared in a short film to confirm season three”.

Fans recalled the season two marching band sequence when Brit Lower appeared on The Tonight Show and played the Severance theme tune on the trumpet alongside The Roots.

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