Working With Marc Diraison On Anime Projects
Marc Diraison runs a voice direction operation out of Florida and has been closing credit roles on things like Code Geass, Full Metal Alchemist, and several Sentai and Funimation releases. He does both casting and ADR direction, which means he is often the person making final calls on performance choices before a mix goes to broadcast. That dual role matters because it changes how sessions run compared to purely director-led environments. People ask about his arc because he moved from regional theater and radio work into anime ADR in the early two thousand and something era, built his own studio setup, then started taking on director credit instead of just acting in background roles. The shift tracks with how the English dub market expanded when simulcasts became a thing and studios needed people who could run full sessions without pulling in a separate consultant for every show. I have worked in sessions where Marc was listed as director and engineer at the same board. What that actually looks like is him reading lines with actors, adjusting mic positions between takes, and then immediately checking waveforms on a DAW while giving notes. The workflow is tight. He tends to prioritize consistent breath control and timing over big vocal gymnastics, which is why his casts often sound glued together even when switching actors mid-season.
If you are trying to understand his process from the outside, the most useful angle is not his acting resume but his session habits. He usually asks for three clean takes rather than five messy ones, moves quickly through supporting roles, and spends disproportionate time on lead vocal matches when line timing is already locked to the Japanese cut.
What Makes His Approach Different
One thing beginners miss is that Marc rarely does full script rewrites for ADR. He works within the approved translation block and fixes problems through pacing rather than rewriting dialogue. That means actors need to hit specific beat placements while keeping natural intonation. It is easier said than done when the timing lock is four frames off from what the teleprompter expects. Another counterintuitive detail is his stance on pitch matching. He will let an actor drift slightly in pitch if the emotional contour lands correctly, but he will cut a take dead if the mouth flaps do not match the closed consonant hits. Closed consonants are where most ADR fails, and he knows it. You will hear him say things like hold the plosive longer or breathe before the frame instead of debating whether a line feels dramatic. I once had a session where the supplied video had a corrupted frame around the second episode’s climax. The lip sync region was garbled, and the standard timecode map was useless. What I did was export the clean adjacent scene, use it as a proxy guide for pacing, and then re-timed the problematic section by eye against the Japanese reference with frame-by-frame scrubbing. It added about forty minutes to prep but saved us from a mismatched final pass. He accepted the workaround without fuss.
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How Sessions Usually Run
A typical Diraison-directed ADR session follows a predictable shape. Roll call and table read first. Then line checks on leads while supporting cast waits in the holding area. After that, split into pairs: one mic running scenes while the other reviews playback and notes timing deviations. The engineer, who is often himself on smaller productions, locks levels early and keeps noise floor complaints to a minimum by using treated booth spaces rather than cheap foam panels. He tends to record at 24-bit / 48kHz and prefers uncompressed WAV unless deliverable specs force compressed intermediates for temp mixes. If you are submitting work for review, send the raw stems first. Compressed files hide room tone issues that he will catch anyway and make you resubmit. One practical bottleneck worth knowing is that he will not schedule a full ensemble read unless all four or five principal voices are confirmed. I have seen that delay a session by three weeks when one actor had scheduling conflicts and the rest of the cast was ready. The workaround is usually recording ensemble scenes in blocks after solo line checks, but that only works when the edit does not require precise cross-reacting timing.
What To Expect If You Are Casting Or Working With Him
If you are an actor being directed by him, bring prepared choices rather than waiting for notes. He usually gives one clear direction and expects you to land it on the next attempt. Asking for repeated explanations slows the board and he will politely move you along. If you are a producer hiring him for direction, give him the approved translation early. He likes to see script blocks at least two business days before session day so he can flag timing problem spots. Late script changes are the main reason sessions run over, and there is no clean fix for that except bumping the book. Another thing people overlook is his habit of keeping session logs with frame-accurate take notes. If you need to revisit a performance months later for a sequel or Blu-ray remaster, those logs save hours. I have pulled them more than once when a director wanted to recall a specific emotional inflection from season one.
Where His Work Shows Its Limits
This is not a flawless system. When projects demand heavy localized adaptation or cultural rewrite, his preference for sticking close to the approved text can feel rigid. Some writers push back because they want more latitude to change phrasing for comedic timing. He will compromise on minor wording but draws a line at structural changes that alter character intent. Another limitation is bandwidth for large rosters. He does not take on simultaneous major series at the same volume some other directors do, which means booking windows can be narrow during peak production seasons. If you need him for a tight turnaround, you should lock dates months ahead rather than assuming availability. For smaller independent dubs with minimal budget, his rates and session style may be overkill. In those cases, using a local ADR engineer with a director consultant often produces acceptable results at lower cost, even if the final polish is less consistent across episodes.
Practical Takeaways
Prepare your timing maps accurately. Bring cleaned translation blocks with frame notes. Expect concise direction and fast turnarounds on takes. Keep backup stems and log everything. And do not bring a corrupted source file into the booth expecting him to fix it on the day. The work is solid when the prep is solid.
