For more opportunities to work with guest teachers curated by Heidi, check out the Acting Collective.
An intensive 5-day bootcamp to develop your screencraft and cultivate your artistic freedom.
Demystify acting on camera. Practice clear tools to quickly access and deliver what you need in the audition room and on set.
Classes are limited to 8 people so Yasen can better gauge individual strengths and weaknesses. This allows for a much more intimate and tailored teaching approach.
Yasen offers a methodical and practical way for students to analyze and improve their own performance with the goal of becoming self-sufficient. You will work through:
You’ll be watching your own performances each class, and you’ll develop a highly trained “camera lens eye” for what works and what doesn’t on screen. By the end of the course, everyone can expect to be able to identify when something doesn’t translate on camera and efficiently make the adjustment.
Simply put, this class demystifies performing for the camera. It covers Yasen’s unique three-step process to acting on screen, and it also explores:
This is for actors who want to dig deeper into their confidence and skills working on camera!
Whether you’re a working actor searching for the final piece of the puzzle, a musical theatre artist ready to take the leap into film and TV, or someone who’s had limited training and is keen on becoming a professional in the industry, Yasen’s class will invigorate you. Yasen has an extraordinary skill at meeting you where you’re at in your process and bringing out the best in you.
TIME COMMITMENT
You will need to plan for homework time to research your assignment and prepare your materials. All studio classes are designed to stretch and support your complete prep process as an actor for self-tapes and in-person auditions. The more you put into the class, the more you get out of it!
WORKING WITH GUEST TEACHERS
Artists teaching artists is the inspiration for bringing Guest Teachers to the studio. This class is intended to expand your process as an actor and to reinforce your skills, confidence, and natural talent.
4-hour classes each day of the intensive. This bootcamp will launch you into the next audition season with gusto.
In the intensive, you’ll focus on and work through:
Yasen Atour, founder of Film Club, is an actor/director and producer, known for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Ben-Hur, Marcella, The Dead Sea, Robin Hood, and The State. He is a Series Regular in the upcoming Netflix series, Young Wallander. Founder of Palikuku Films.
“As an actor, I’ve always been obsessed with film and what makes someone compelling on screen. A number of masterclasses and workshops I took throughout my career have more or less alluded to the same things: ‘act through your eyes’ and ‘internalize more.’ As I became more comfortable and grew in experience as both an actor and director, I couldn’t help but think that there must be a clearer way to master screen acting, because at the end of the day, what does ‘acting through your eyes’ even mean? So with the actor in mind and empowerment the goal, I constructed a simple, tangible, and (importantly for us artists) affordable six-day process called Film Club.”
—YASEN ATOUR – Actor, Director & Film Club Founder [IMDb]
HEIDI’S ENDORSEMENT
Yasen is a tremendous teacher! I adore his passion and care for actors. His student reviews are always so incredible and I trust him to really continue the work of launching and supporting our community (you!) out into the professional world of working on film and TV. You’ll be stretched and pulled and come up against yourself and you’ll have some incredible insights and openings in your work. Everything gets challenged, revealed, rebuilt, and refortified. He’s a gifted and inspired teacher.
After graduating from drama school, I was launched into the industry and auditioned for just about everything. I got close to a few things…the famous “pencilled in” line from my agent. Then one day, I received a call with an offer! It was amazing, and it paid! It was my first professional role.
I loved the character because it was totally the opposite of who I was: I played a terrorist who was part of a global crime syndicate.
And the money was great. I couldn’t believe I actually got paid to do what I love. It’s a funny feeling, because getting that role was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me as an actor.
Let me tell you why it was the worst thing that happened to me.
When I finished that project, I became very entitled. This was my mentality towards my agent: “We need to step up our game. Don’t send me out for any more terrorist roles or Bartender #5.”
I was so naive. If I could go back, I’d slap that version of me. I couldn’t book an opening to an envelope after that. The issue was this, and I feel it’s the case with many actors: I call it the “curse of the first gig you book.”
You think you’re amazing, and then you start to believe your own hype and forget about your craft.
Fast forward six months. I’m sitting at home without a penny, and I’m thinking: “What’s going on, Yas?”
And then it hit me. I didn’t get that role because I was the best thing since Brando…I got it because I looked, walked and talked like the character.
It broke my heart to realize how the world perceived my exterior. Broke my heart. I wanted to be an actor that touched people and brought them closer together—not one that added fuel to an ever-burning flame.
So I had two choices, quit acting—because I did not want anything to do with these types of roles—or, hone my craft, and be the best evil bad guy I could possibly be. I chose the latter. Because, of course, once you play enough of those roles, people start to see talent rather than your exterior.
Moral of the story is that, as artists, we are so hungry and caught up on getting that “bigger and better role” that we can lose focus on being the artist.
Now.
It was also the best thing that happened to me: learning and knowing what my “unique selling point” was empowering. I was lucky to figure that out early on in my career.
In the early stages of my career, I auditioned like crazy. 4–6 auditions a week. Sometimes three a day!
I was on my way to mastering my craft according to the “10,000-hour rule” (which I firmly believe in). But it actually had an adverse affect on me, and this ultimately broke me as an actor.
Why, you ask? Surely I should be seasoned by this point.
Let me give you an example that I’m sure many of us actors can relate to.
So, I waltz into auditions feeling confident in my preparation: “my choices are solid and I know my lines inside out”. In the UK, you must ALWAYS be off book. Later, I learned that this isn’t always the case in the States.
The casting director and I get to know each other in 12.7 seconds, and then we hit the scene—
AUDITION #1
CASTING DIRECTOR #1: That’s great, could we do it again, but give it more.
YAS: Sure thing.
AUDITION #2
CASTING DIRECTOR #2: That’s great, but could you do less.
YAS: Yeah sure, no problem.
AUDITION #3
CASTING DIRECTOR #3: That’s a really good choice, but could you raise the stakes.
YAS: Raise the stakes, absolutely.
It felt like this conflicting redirection would go on and on until one day when I’d finally say, enough is enough, and throw in the towel.
“This industry doesn’t really want anything to do with me!”
Ironically, I was booking work.
But I was never satisfied with the audition process because I lost who I was.
One person would say, “you’re acting!”
Another would say, “please, for dear life, can you act?”
“Too much!”
“Too little!”
AGGGHH, JUST STOP!
Thanks to my Dad, I have resilience in abundance and choose to see everything as a challenge rather than a chore. I went back to the drawing board and asked myself a few questions:
The key thing here is the word process. It’s very important for us to treat it that way, otherwise you, too, will get lost in the sauce.
My Conclusion: I was asking myself the wrong questions all along!
It wasn’t that I was the world’s worst actor or that my interpretation was way off. It was far more simple than that.
All writers are different, and so are the people in their stories.
No director has the same approach when guiding an acting performance. Some directors like the small and subtle approach of a Ryan Gosling, and some directors prefer a Viola Davis approach, where you know exactly how she feels and all is on the line.
And casting directors! They are trying to juggle all of the above, and sometimes even they don’t know what on earth to look for.
So the ultimate key is this: it doesn’t matter if you come in with the wrong choice and interpretation, and it doesn’t matter if you are very theatrical or super subtle and specific.
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU ARE REDIRECTABLE. THAT’S IT!
This, my dear friends and colleagues, is our fail-safe.
This is what we practice in our classes together…to equip ourselves with tangible skills in order to be free and independent.
— Yas
Blew my mind about the craft itself. It is nice to know I can fall back on my craft and don’t have to “feel” each emotion my character is going through. Important to know when I may not be able to access emotion on a certain day.
I love how experienced and elevated my fellow class mates were. It was so nice to be with other actors who are working already.
This class shifted my entire framework storytelling. There were so many little gems in this class regarding the prepwork. The gems that impacted me, those dealt with empathy & imagination and how those things breathe life into the sides.
[This class] increased my confidence. I will allow myself to move more, play more and have fun – especially when auditioning.
Yasen’s energy and perspective on the work and life is very refreshing and I’ve never come across it in a teacher.
I feel like this technique gives me much more control over the scene as opposed to just trying to use emotions. It’s like being my own director when breaking down the auditions and then learning to take direction and know how to give a director what they want otherwise. I always wanted to watch the greatest actors but didn’t know what to look for. Now I want to just spend hours taking notes on how they did it to learn for myself.
I really felt like Yasen was so personable, related to us in the class, made us feel so comfortable to be uncomfortable while PUSHING us at the same time. I feel like everyday was exciting, and I went away with so many learnings that I am still processing :)!
It gave me a clear process for audition and scene prep that is simple and very efficient. I’ve trained with so many different teachers, often it’s overwhelming how to decide to prep a scene but this was a beautiful marriage of what I’ve already learned but trimming all the fat.
Yasen is really an incredible person and teacher. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my journey in front of the camera.
I felt everything on the emotional spectrum, and that’s how I know I’m growing. I learned so many practical skills that can be applied starting right now. There’s work to be done, but I cannot wait to see where it’ll take me on this journey.
This class was everything you and Johnny promised. It was transformational. Yas challenged me in ways I didn’t think were possible. It was like an acting bootcamp.
Thank you Heidi for these courses and opportunities to be with incredible artists. I am changed. Thank you all for making the space/camera work sacred *not scared* and supportive.
MIND BLOWN!
I feel like a different actor after this class. The process of preparing has become playful, joyful, and endlessly fascinating. I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. What this class has given me is a different way of thinking. I can still strive to create truthful, specific behavior, but I can craft this behavior from the viewpoint that voice and movement are not only at my disposal—they’re in fact at my command.
I now have a way to map out the emotional arc of a scene for auditions and be able to live in those emotional circumstances.
I signed up for this class because I knew I had a weakness in the area of camera technique and I hoped it would help me solve the question of why I wasn’t able to fully translate the work I was trying to do in a way that read for camera. This class did that for me, but it also was so much more than I’d hoped for. I got new insight into the art and the craft of acting, inspiration to create more and a rich understanding of film as a medium for storytelling. I also made friends in the class who I hope to continue to work with and build community with – Yas helped us go from a group of strangers to a real team. I will definitely be recommending Yas’s work to any of my friends who are able to study with him, whether here or in the UK.
Being rusty from having left the biz, I feel empowered having this training. I’m much more confident in myself than before class. Would highly recommend this class to everyone!
This class showed me what we all have in us and made me feel confident that it is there but must be worked for… and not tied to ego…. This class is absolutely amazing.
It was the very craft-heavy class I needed after loosing a big gig.
Great class – very specific to film and tv which you don’t get in many other courses with lots of on screen practice. Helps you create in depth, interesting and nuanced performances for screen – highly recommended!
We see many talented actors who fall a little short when it comes to acting for screen. After watching the radical transformation of our clients who attended (Film Club), this is an absolute game changer.
This class has been a game changer for me! It helped me connect deeply to the range of emotions within and how to utilize them while creating my character.
I feel very jazzed by Yasem’s workshops. It was an excellent experience all the way around; time to try new things, games to get us on our feet, individual and group practice time with the new concepts. It was the jump start for my “back to school” season of tidying up my game. Yasem brought a new spin on traditional concepts as well as presented some useful tools I had not thought about before. Yasen recommended that we do our work and most importantly have fun, remember we are actors and creators for life. Love that.
This class has impacted me on so many different levels. I am already preparing material differently, feeling more confident, and looking at material in a whole new way. I’ve actually gotten more excited looking at scripts and working out all the different emotional beats, making sure I know my inner monologue throughout, monitoring my voice and making sure there is change (as we found I have a tendency to keep the rhythm the same), allowing my physicality to exhibit what the character is really feeling, allowing “bridges” to bridge the beats as needed, and really allowing the time for those emotional shifts to happen (aka don’t rush it!). Needless to say, preparing material has become much richer and more specific for me. Class with Yas was absolutely fantastic! Truly, it was a game changer. He has so much knowledge, and he is able to readily break down that knowledge into a “process” or “technique guideline” which we can then apply ourselves and see immediate results. He is an incredibly generous individual. The class was challenging, fun, moving, educational; he always had us on our toes. And he has me excited about the future.
Yas is such a generous teacher, and also refreshingly honest. Film Club felt like a very safe space in which to fail… something that ironically brought out some of my best work. Highly recommend to anyone who works on-screen – even if you’re a seasoned pro, Yas will no doubt find ways for you to grow and evolve. Thank you, Yas!!
Fantastic experience. A great opportunity to get past my ego, let go (temporarily) of my past training and go back to zero with an open mind. Yasen gained our trust, kicked our asses in a positive way, and gave us tangibles to enhance our work. He was a breath of fresh air, coming from abroad, and a different kind of life experience than many of us. I feel like not only do I have a better structure to approach scenes but feel like I turned a corner in embracing learning experiences as growth in acting. I feel so much less fragile. I will also, sit down and do this work on every script that I work on. I have a clearer and deeper respect and understanding of the value in honoring the story (and not self indulging). This has been extremely freeing. This class has transformed my approach to my work both in the room and beforehand in my prep. It has given me a concrete toolkit both for better understanding what is going on in a script and then translating that to the camera/audience. I signed up for this class because I was feeling frustrated. This class has given me super actionable tools to help me close that gap and deliver the performance I want to. It has put me back in the drivers seat and empowered me to feel more in control of how I show up in the room and/or on set. It’s also given me a different perspective on how to use the other tools in my toolkit (like emotional prep and techniques like Meisner) in a way that offers me more freedom and fluidity. I loved the emphasis on storytelling and the building blocks of how we as humans understand and parse a story. The intensive format gave me the opportunity to fully immerse into what we were doing and give it all my focus.
Yas’ approach has taken out the mysticism of acting. There are things that I can do to make the scene make sense. I finally feel like I have a tangible process to approach scripts that will land me in the truth of what is going on with the character. I am excited now to analyze scripts and figure out how to play with a character. This has changed my understanding of acting as a whole, but has also given me answers on how to prepare for auditions. I think it will be a game-changer in my preparation. Yas has re-inspired a desire within me to be a craftsman. I love the technique in all of this, and I love the idea that I will always be able to get better. However, he’s given me the tools to go into the real world and just do my best. It’s humbling but also extremely empowering. I’m ready to hit this fall for auditions because I’m no longer asking the question, “How did I do?” I’m asking, “Did that make sense?”
I will run with gusto to do my homework and crack that script instead of shying away or feeling inadequate. It was amazing! I am looking forward to practicing, and adding sense memory as well as other techniques I’ve studied to this wonderful technique!
What before felt like WORK now feels more like PLAY. His tools are very clear and he did a fantastic job revealing to us how we are already capable of said tools. Once again, I’m walking away from Heidi Marshall Studios feeling empowered, inspired, and excited for the future!
Full disclosure — please note that we do not guarantee that actors in these classes or workshops will be hired for any project that we might direct, produce, or cast. We teach and coach because we enjoy supporting and nurturing actors as you develop your personal process for auditioning, working and creating your own work.