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Martin Bentsen has been featured in:
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"Why am I stuck only booking student films and indie projects?"It can feel almost impossible to get past a certain point as an actor, especially if you're not in SAG-AFTRA yet. Sure, you might have no problem booking indie roles through online casting websites, but when it comes to booking your first major speaking role in a network-level production, things become WAY more challenging. Not only is it really hard to find those roles, but actually booking them is a different story entirely. Have you ever tried any of the following?
When you've been doing everything right for years but the word "non-union" is still stuck next to your name on Actor's Access... it can be easy to consider giving up and focusing on a more traditional career path (while continuing to "act on the side"). But being a "weekend actor" isn't what you had in mind. "A yes or no can take just 7 seconds."According to many industry experts, network casting directors take less than seven seconds to determine if an actor should be invited to audition (or submit a self-tape). If your headshot, resume, and reel haven't convinced them within that time frame, most will simply move onto the next actor. In fact, 99% of all actors never get callbacks – only 30 are typically chosen out of 3,000. And the most unfortunate part? Most of those actors never find out why they weren't selected, leaving them wondering things like:
And then those same actors spend months (and sometimes even YEARS) fixing things that were never broken. But there is one thing that major casting directors DO care about. And they care about it above all else: Your acting ability. That's why, even if you're able to book student and indie films, it doesn't mean major casting directors will consider you for roles. They are WAY more discerning than indie filmmakers are. If you're not getting invited to major auditions (or you're auditioning for them frequently but rarely getting callbacks), chances are you can change it by just focusing on your technique.
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Hi, I'm Martin Bentsen and I believe EVERY actor deserves a shot.
You might have seen me speak at NYU, Actor's Connection, or The Actor's Green Room. Or you might have taken headshots at my 5-star rated photography studio called City Headshots.
As someone who has coached thousands of actors via Zoom, in-person classes, and live on set since 2011, I've gained a deep understanding of how to help actors quickly understand what's working and what's not in a scene, and how to fix problems fast. Even though I teach a lot about marketing for actors, my specialty is directing & coaching actors, having majored in film directing at NYU Tisch (and having directed two feature-length films). I love to simplify complex subjects into easy-to-understand, actionable tasks. This allows my clients to quickly wrap their heads around a concept and get the result they want. |
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My intent is to help you master all three areas... in just four weeks:
Uplevel Your Acting is a carefully crafted, 4-week masterclass series, where we'll work together to analyze, break down, and refine your acting technique. This is a screen-acting focused program specifically for actors who are trying to book their first co-star or guest star role in a major union production. The goal of Uplevel Your Acting is to take your acting up to consistent Level 3 & Level 4 performances, where everything is extremely easy to follow, engaging, and keeps the viewer hooked. Level 3 and 4 performances are what major casting directors look for in the actors they hire (especially when it comes to network-level roles). The program is a mixture of four deep-dive masterclasses, along with four 1-1 private Zoom coaching calls with me, where I personally help you implement what you learned in the masterclasses to improve your acting technique. Here's just some of what you'll learn:
This 4-week masterclass series is for serious actors only who are looking to start booking more on-camera work. If you get auditions and occasionally book small, indie roles... but you feel stuck when it comes to booking your first legit speaking role (co-star or above) in a major production, this program is for you. Watch a sneak peek of the program below: |
A Layout of the Program:Uplevel Your Acting is broken into four deep-dive masterclasses, along with four live 1-1 Zoom meetings with me (Martin Bentsen).
Each week you'll learn specific lessons, and in our 1-1 meetings we'll focus on actively implementing those lessons into your monologues and auditions. Take a look at the breakdown below to learn what the program includes: Masterclass #1: From Level 1 to Level 2
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"You will physically see the improvement from your first monologue to your last by the end of the program."
It was an easy decision to take the "Uplevel Your Acting" course because it offers more than the average one-topic focused acting class.
The monologue meetings had a big impact on my acting skills because I was able to receive personalized critique from an outside perspective that I wouldn't have received anywhere else. There is also a 2 in 1 benefit to this: The advice I receive on my monologues also helps me improve my self-tapes. Not only do I receive direction on my acting skills, but also the self-tape set up and what casting directors and agencies look for.
This class is here to set you up for success. Martin is very hands on and he answers any and every question thrown at him.
Before joining Uplevel Your Acting, I was hoping to learn everything about how to deliver a great monologue because I've never done it before. Luckily this was an online class because my hands were sweaty having to watch myself and get critiqued. If you are someone like me and you also avoid watching yourself on-screen, this class is definitely for you.
The most important tool I've gained is the courage to critique my own work and go through my checklist of what level of performance I'm on. I can ask myself, what makes this a level 4 monologue? What makes it a level 1? Why did I make this choice?
Being forced to watch yourself and to critique your own work is hard but you find things that are important to either change or enhance. One of my favorite parts about class was being encouraged to try something new and make new choices. The reason I wasn't afraid to make a new choice away from something I was already comfortable doing was because of something Martin said. He said to have fun. It was a super quick comment but it stuck with me because making different choices should be fun.
But it doesn't end there, Martin asks "why" I made that choice and makes sure it still falls under who I am as a person and my Brand and Pride Words. The new choice should still feel like me. And every time, I preferred my 2nd choice. It brought out a new side of me on screen that I didn't think I had.
After taking this class I am very confident in my ability to give a great performance. The class is set up for you to learn as much as possible and then incorporate those learnings into your monologues and to ensure that you are giving the best performance that you can. You will physically see the improvement from your first monologue to your last by the end of class.
Even if you are a strong actor, there is still something new you can learn and even discover about yourself.
– Amanda Keaton, professional actress
"As someone who has previously taken many intensive acting classes at Barrow Group, HB Studio, and elsewhere, I highly recommend this program to experienced and inexperienced actors alike."
Martin's "Uplevel Your Acting" classes were exactly what he said they would be - providing very practical, detailed, and specific courses of action, tailored to each participant's acting level, very similar to one-on-one coaching. Each of us can now store and use these insights going forward to make our auditions much, much better than before.
I really appreciated the detailed explanation on how we can evaluate our own performances, along with tricks of the trade that I would have never thought to use. This approach not only helps spot a poor level 1-2 performance, which I now know not to submit as an audition, but also teaches how to take any audition from a level 3 to a level 4 performance.
As someone who has previously taken many intensive acting classes at Barrow Group, HB Studio, and elsewhere, I highly recommend this program to experienced and inexperienced actors alike.
The dissection of the self-tapes down to each sentence, and understanding the level of performance of each sentence, was invaluable. Being able to know what is a good or not-so-good performance on my own is empowering.
The amount of time spent with each of us exceeded my expectations. The very encouraging and easy-to-understand practical tips make one's self-tape auditions much better instead of flying by the seat of one's pants.
I really appreciated the detailed explanation on how we can evaluate our own performances, along with tricks of the trade that I would have never thought to use. This approach not only helps spot a poor level 1-2 performance, which I now know not to submit as an audition, but also teaches how to take any audition from a level 3 to a level 4 performance.
As someone who has previously taken many intensive acting classes at Barrow Group, HB Studio, and elsewhere, I highly recommend this program to experienced and inexperienced actors alike.
The dissection of the self-tapes down to each sentence, and understanding the level of performance of each sentence, was invaluable. Being able to know what is a good or not-so-good performance on my own is empowering.
The amount of time spent with each of us exceeded my expectations. The very encouraging and easy-to-understand practical tips make one's self-tape auditions much better instead of flying by the seat of one's pants.
– Mark Meissner, professional actor
"I have gained SO much confidence."
"From my first session working with Martin, I have gained SO much confidence in my acting.
Not only is he a great acting coach (he gave me the most helpful insights that INSTANTLY improved my performance, significantly), but he gave me so many resources that I now feel confident analyzing my own self-tapes to keep improving by myself. If you want to improve your performance FAST, even if you're starting from zero, then Uplevel Your Acting is a no brainer. Honestly, run and grab your spot before they're gone, you don't want to miss out on this program! – Marie-Pier Portier, professional actress |
"The improvements I've seen in my acting have been big..."
"Before I started these classes, my goal was to learn how to perform in film and TV since I've only done theater so far. This class was even better than I thought it would be and taught me a lot about how to act for camera.
Getting feedback every week on the scenes I did was super helpful. It showed me what I needed to work on to improve. Additionally, I didn't expect to get so much help from Martin, but he was always there to answer my emails if I got stuck on something between our classes. And at the end, he gave us all the notes from the class in PDFs, which was very helpful. I'd tell anyone who's thinking about doing this class to just go for it. The classes are really fun and interesting, and the improvements I've seen in my acting have been big (especially considering the time frame of just 4 weeks)." – Charlie Julian Stull, professional actor |
"I was hoping to improve my auditioning skills, and I feel I learned a tremendous amount about that..."
I noticed Martin was running a course called "Uplevel Your Acting," and it seemed like it was addressing the very issues I was questioning about my audition submissions. I signed up, and the assignments were based on doing a monologue of your choosing and working on different ways to improve the performance each week. Not only did I get to see the exact mistakes I was making, but I also got to learn where some of my strengths are.
I really feel that having Martin there to analyze my performances line by line and show me exactly where I could improve made a huge difference. He provided specific feedback on how to enhance my performance, and maybe most importantly, he had me do an improv exercise that truly showed me a lot. I was hoping to improve my auditioning skills, and I feel I learned a tremendous amount about that. I left very happy with the results. I would totally recommend this to anyone looking to tighten up their skills, particularly for auditions. This is a fantastic class, especially if you're new to acting or coming back to it. Thanks, Martin! Looking forward to doing more work like this with you in the future! |
– Dennis Marmon, professional actor
"Uplevel Your Acting was even better than I expected..."
"Uplevel Your Acting was a big step for me. The part that really changed how I see acting was learning to really feel what my character was feeling. It made my acting more real and less about performing.
Before I started, I wanted to work on getting into films or TV shows and finding an agent. I realized I was rushing things and this program helped me see where I was skipping important steps.
Uplevel Your Acting was even better than I expected. It showed me how to bring my characters to life and not just do the same old thing. Thanks to Martin, I'm not scared to bring more life to my roles now.
If a friend was thinking about joining, I'd say go for it! It's a great starting point for anyone's acting career. You learn how to move from being a beginner to acting like a real pro, around level 3 or 4. It's a game-changer."
Before I started, I wanted to work on getting into films or TV shows and finding an agent. I realized I was rushing things and this program helped me see where I was skipping important steps.
Uplevel Your Acting was even better than I expected. It showed me how to bring my characters to life and not just do the same old thing. Thanks to Martin, I'm not scared to bring more life to my roles now.
If a friend was thinking about joining, I'd say go for it! It's a great starting point for anyone's acting career. You learn how to move from being a beginner to acting like a real pro, around level 3 or 4. It's a game-changer."
– Preferred to remain anonymous
"I didn't think, going into the start of the series, that I would be able to learn and retain such helpful information."
"I think the 1-1 analysis and advice during the sessions was the most significant, along with the great info on the slides each week. I was feeling stuck and wasn't sure what I could do to improve. After this program, I feel like I have a better grasp on how I can keep practicing effectively and improve every time I do a self-tape or audition. The whole program far exceeded my expectations. I didn't think, going into the start of the series, that I would be able to learn and retain such helpful information.
If I ever feel stuck again in the future, I know exactly where to look for some guidance. The detailed feedback and structured lessons have given me the confidence and tools I needed. I would say Uplevel Your Acting is worth the time and effort. You learn so much, and every week you really do improve. The supportive environment and practical tips make it invaluable. I would tell anyone considering Uplevel Your Acting to just go for it because I had a great experience!
If I ever feel stuck again in the future, I know exactly where to look for some guidance. The detailed feedback and structured lessons have given me the confidence and tools I needed. I would say Uplevel Your Acting is worth the time and effort. You learn so much, and every week you really do improve. The supportive environment and practical tips make it invaluable. I would tell anyone considering Uplevel Your Acting to just go for it because I had a great experience!
– Preferred to remain anonymous
"This masterclass is a solid choice..."
"Uplevel Your Acting was a game-changer. The most eye-opening part was in week three, when I realized my acting was coming off a bit too forced and not real enough. Now, I'm using the tips to tweak my auditions and I'm a lot more confident.
I didn't really have any big expectations when I signed up, but Uplevel Your Acting was so much more than I thought it would be. I learned a ton and really enjoyed every part of it. The focus on making our acting more natural, getting monologues right, and improving our self-tape auditions was spot on.
If you're trying to level up your acting or just want to get better at auditioning, this masterclass is a solid choice. I'd tell any friend of mine to go for it if they're serious about their career.
I didn't really have any big expectations when I signed up, but Uplevel Your Acting was so much more than I thought it would be. I learned a ton and really enjoyed every part of it. The focus on making our acting more natural, getting monologues right, and improving our self-tape auditions was spot on.
If you're trying to level up your acting or just want to get better at auditioning, this masterclass is a solid choice. I'd tell any friend of mine to go for it if they're serious about their career.
– Preferred to remain anonymous
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