Uplevel Your Acting

Booking network-level speaking roles all depends on one, critical factor: Great acting ability.

When your acting technique is on point, you'll get invited to bigger auditions, book higher-paying jobs, and get an agent/manager WAY faster.

Martin Bentsen has been featured in:

"A yes or no can take just 7 seconds."

According to many industry experts, 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.

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.

The 4 Levels of Acting

One of the problems with improving acting technique is that it's hard to judge our own performances and get a realistic sense of how casting directors or agents might see us.

That's where The 4 Levels of Acting comes into play.

The 4 Levels of Acting is a framework that allows you to quickly judge your own performance BEFORE submitting so you know right away whether your self-tape/audition will be received well.

Here's how it works:

Level 1: This is where we all start. At Level 1, there are technical issues with the performance such as not pronouncing words clearly, doing something called "indicating" (over-playing certain emotions), having trouble memorizing lines, and more.
Level 2: This is where your performance is natural and there are almost no moments of "overacting" or melodramatic performances. However, the choices made by the actor are often not clear enough, which can cause the viewer to get lost or distracted.
Level 3: At this level your performance is truly on point. Every choice is clear and the audience is easily able to follow the scene without getting lost or losing interest. Level 3 actors frequently book co-star and occasional guest-star roles.
Level 4: This is the highest level of performance. This is where the audience watching deeply experiences what the character is experiencing, and they're on the edge of their seats the entire time.

Casting directors only hire Level 3 and Level 4 actors when it comes to network-level, union productions.

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.

That being said, I'd love to introduce you to:

Uplevel Your Acting is a carefully crafted 4-week online program, where you'll learn to analyze, break down, and refine your acting technique without the need to constantly rely on an acting coach.

This is a screen-acting 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.

Here's just some of what you'll learn:

How to quickly break down a script so you understand all the beats and important moments that casting directors care about
What to do when you're not given enough info in a character breakdown and have to make choices yourself
How to memorize lines more effectively & easily using techniques like The Comprehension Method & The Variance Method
How to take any performance from OK to deeply memorable and emotional by "raising the stakes" – this is what gives casting directors goosebumps (and they absolutely LOVE it)

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, Uplevel Your Acting is for you.

"You will visually see the improvement from your first monologue to your last by the end of the program."

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?

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 visually 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

A Layout of the Program:

Uplevel Your Acting is broken into four workshops, each focusing on how to move from one level to the next. Each pre-recorded class video will be sent to you over a four-week period, and you'll record and re-record a monologue, improving it between each class.

Masterclass #1: From Level 1 to Level 2
The Foundations of Great Acting

The first step is to build a strong foundation. Knowing how to record proper self-tapes, memorize lines quickly, and get out of your own head are all essential building blocks to stronger performances.

Masterclass #1 Covers:

A mindset shift to allow yourself to improve FAST – most actors, if they simply changed how they thought about this one simple thing, could improve their acting WAY faster
Self-tape technicalities, including how to set up a professional self-tape studio so you're taken seriously in all submissions (we'll discuss equipment and resources you can use for minimal cost)
Tactics to memorize lines quickly & easily – learn five different "shortcut" methods that make memorization WAY faster and easier
Understanding and removing indication from performances – indication is the single most common pitfall actors face when it comes to being taken seriously by casting directors and agents – you'll learn how to nip it in the bud forever
How to get out of your own head – it can be hard to stop thinking about the camera, lights, and microphones (not to mention all the eyes staring at you), but there are a few key tactics you can use to get past this effectively
How to make your performances more memorable – this simple trick has helped many actors earn repeated callbacks from casting directors

Masterclass #2: From Level 2 to Level 3
Specificity of Character & Scene

Masterclass #2 is focused on how to make clear choices and get a complete understanding of every scene. The clearer you are, the more natural your performance will be and the easier it will be for the audience to watch and follow it.

Masterclass #2 Covers:

100% understanding of the scene – learn the exact questions you'll need to ask and answer before any performance to come across as authentic and natural
Breaking down a scene and making choices – most casting directors will not give you specifics when it comes to casting calls; we'll discuss why that's a GOOD thing and how you can use it to your advantage by making your own decisions
Specific examples of choices you can make – dive deep into the nitty gritty of making choices and decisions for scenes so you leave no stone unturned
How to take direction – learn how to take direction better during the audition so casting directors recommend you more highly for the role
How to analyze your own performances – you'll learn how to grade your own performance from Level 1 to Level 4, and how to pinpoint exactly what needs to change to improve

Masterclass #3: From Level 3 to Level 4
The "Goosebumps" Factor

Once you're clear on choices and your performances are free of basic errors, it's time to take things up a notch by "raising the stakes" for a much more compelling performance. Masterclass #3 is all about taking a performance from good to great.

Masterclass #3 Covers:

Making stronger choices - while it's true that there can be many "valid" choices for a scene, some choices are better than others, producing more emotional, interesting, and engaging performances
Capturing your Pride Words in a scene – you'll learn three personalized, easy-to-remember words that can be used before ANY audition to ease nerves and help you feel more grounded in your performance. These three words will make your performance uniquely YOU, capturing your unique personality or "brand"
Delivering deeply emotional performances - learn what constitutes a truly great performance, and how to know when your performance is "emotional" enough
How to cry on command - most actors find crying on command to be extremely tough, which is why we'll cover 3 simple tricks you can use to make it significantly easier

Masterclass #4: Consistent Mastery
Preparing for Bigger Roles

In Masterclass #4, we'll cover how to take everything you've learned and consistently apply it to each and every scene you do. You'll create an audition checklist and work on some mental shifts needed to start feeling ready for bigger acting jobs.

Masterclass #4 Covers:

The Audition Checklist - this simple but easy-to-follow checklist will ensure every performance you do consistently reaches Level 3 or Level 4 status (hint: some auditions should actually NOT be Level 4)
Feeling ready for bigger jobs – we'll cover a few key mindset shifts that will help you feel more prepared and ready to take on higher-paid acting work and bigger roles
Avoiding the trap of Level 5 Performances – the unexpected trap of trying to perform beyond Level 4 (aiming for Level 5) is what often causes actors to get passed over. Learn how to avoid this trap to keep booking more and more
Next steps to continue growing your acting career - beyond improving your acting technique, what's the best way to go about growing your career? We'll cover some essential steps towards getting an agent and booking bigger roles
BONUS: Personalized feedback video from me - you'll email me your final audition tape video, and I'll watch it and record a feedback video, explaining any final things you may want to take into consideration to improve it even further.

So what's the difference between an "OK" performance and one that's truly great?

Watch this truly OUTSTANDING audition tape by Henry Thomas for the character of Elliot in the 1982 blockbuster E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial:

Henry Thomas gave us a true Level 4 performance, where just about everything was on point:

No technical problems like forgetting lines, mispronouncing words, or "indicating."
Clear choices were made, meaning he understood the meaning of every line he said, who he was talking to, and what his character wanted at each moment of the scene.
A deeply emotional performance, one that caused us to really FEEL something for him as we watched.

Imagine giving performances like that for all your auditions.

That's what Uplevel Your Acting is all about.

"I highly recommend this program to experienced and inexperienced actors alike."

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.

– Mark Meissner, professional actor

"I have gained SO much confidence."

"I have gained SO much confidence in my acting.

Not only is Martin a great acting coach (he gives the most helpful insights that INSTANTLY improved my performance, significantly), but he gives 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. 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.

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 short time frame)."

– Charlie Julian Stull, professional actor

"I was hoping to improve my auditioning skills, and I feel I learned a tremendous amount about that..."

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 program 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 programs like this in the future!

– Dennis Marmon, professional actor