Kenney Myers

Author | Actor | Producer | Kickboxer | Entrepreneur

Article

The Secret to How I Learn My Lines & Nail 1-Takes

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Let me first start out by saying that I don’t always nail a scene in 1 take, ha!  That said, I do try my very best to show up on set ready to deliver the best performance I can without ever asking for “LINES”.  Like many other actors I also have a job that actually pays the bills (I am a software developer and an entrepreneur but that’s an article for another day).  Believe it or not, I use the same process whether I am auditioning or showing up on set.  Yes, I memorize and develop the backstory, etc. for every single video or in-person audition too.  Here’s the process I have traditionally gone through.

  1. Get the sides or script from the casting director or director.  Once I have the sides I read them through several times and begin to get the feel for the character and the scenes I have been given.
  2. As a great acting coach taught me, my next step is the 5 – W’s for the character and the scene.  I need to know who, what, where, when, and why associated with this piece.  If you don’t know these things then you can tend to wander around with your take and/or just repeat the lines as written (blah).
  3. I then get out my trusty mobile phone and record ALL lines (my part and the other parts as well).  I will be using this in the car, at work, and everywhere I can to just let the words soak in as much as possible.
  4. I use an application that has several modes available on it.  This includes book mode.  While playing through the scene you can have it either pause for your parts (the number of seconds it should take you) or you can have it prompt you (cue you) for your lines.
  5. I continue using this application as much as possible until I show up on set and am wrapped for the entire show.  I guess the actors and directors might think I am listening to music or checking Instagram but in fact, I’m always studying.

What is this Application You Use?

Fair question.  Well when I had my iPhone I used an application called “Scene Study” which really does all of these things very well.  Unfortunately, I felt the need to protest Apple’s slowing down of my iPhone 6 and forced upgrades by buying an Android phone (Google Pixel 2).  In the heat of the moment that seemed like a great idea.  Unfortunately several applications that I use a lot were not available on Android.  One of those happens to be Scene Study.  Ughhh.  So I started carrying my old iPhone around just for the purpose of studying my lines.  That is until recently when I decided carrying two phones was dumb so I set out to build an app for Android that would do everything I needed.  Thus, RehearserBro was born (yeah terrible name I know but the .com was available so …).  Here’s how it works using a series of images/screenshots.

That’s all pretty straight-forward right?  It’s a game changer at least for me though as it allows me to practice and even do my self tapes without a reader (BookMode+).  This is one application that I just couldn’t be without and therefore I had to write it.  Of course, it may have been smarter to reach out to the developer to see if they had plans of porting their app but where’s the fun in that?

So this is really the secret behind how I learn my lines and have a reputation for being a 1-take actor (per camera angle and I am FAR from perfect).  The honest truth is it just helps me remember and is easier than asking someone I love to read with me a million times (that gets old for them after the second or third time I think).

If you are interested in RehearserBro hit me up on Instagram or Twitter (@kenneymyers on both) and let me know.  I actually wrote it using Xamarin so technically could also produce the iOS version easily (it’s already written).  I just don’t have a need for that one right now so I didn’t publish it.  I also did not publish the droid app to Google Play yet.  I’ll wait to see if there is any demand for it whatsoever.  Thanks and hope to see you on set (with both of us knowing our lines)!

 

How I Accidentally Got Started in Acting

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Every once in a while I get a question that goes something like “how did you get into acting?” I think people are expecting to hear the usual horror stories about it but the honest truth is I got into acting totally by accident. That said, I work very hard every day to improve my acting skills through practice and coaching. It’s far more difficult that it sounds but once I got started I found I enjoyed it and in typical fashion for me I went “all-in.” But every story has a beginning so here is mine:

I spent several years training in san shou (S/O to the pit & specifically Texas Kickboxing Academy). I did a lot of sparring and then fought in an amateur sparring event, etc. Accordingly I watched a lot of MMA, kickboxing, and other combative sports. As usual, I was watching a World Series of Fighting event on TV and a special came on about an 11 year old actress that had cancer and was battling for her life. I was touched by her story and did some research on the films that she had been involved in. I put together a video montage and circulated it on social media asking for my friends and family to pray for her.

To my surprise, the video ended up getting back to her and her father. You just never know what is going to happen with social media … They were super kind and reached out to me to thank me for putting the video together which was exceptionally nice of them given what they were going through. We got to talking about the World Series of Fighting event and one conversation led to another as we got to know each other a bit. Her father happened to be doing casting for a film and asked me if I would be interested in being in a fight scene or two. I thought that sounded really cool and immediately said yes and thanked him profusely.

I showed up on set for my first acting experience and went through makeup (that was new) and got ready for my scenes (all physical stuff). I was going to start off by taking a bat to a coffee table and destroying a bunch of stuff. So … it came time for me to do my scene and the director walked me through what I would be doing and they got setup for the shot. The camera was in place, sound was ready, and then I took off and smashed the heck out of everything (BEFORE he said action). Thankfully, he barely got the shot. We setup again and this time he was explicit wait for it, wait for action, wait, wait … ACTION! The second time I literally broke the bat smashing everything. That is the story of my first scene in MILES TO GO (originally JUNKIE).

Being a total noob I had no idea what I was doing but was fortunate enough to have my teenage daughter along for the experience. I wrapped for the day and left with a bunch of makeup on my face. I realized I had no idea how to get this off and I was actually going to have to go into a store in full makeup and buy something to remove it. Ha, oh boy … Thankfully, my teenage daughter knew exactly what to do and I got through my first makeup removal ordeal.

The one thing that surprised me the most was how nice everyone was including the stars of the movie Christian Kane, James DuVal, Anna Easteden, Eve Mauro, etc. I also ran into a writer by the name of Colin Bird there (later to become a good friend, motivator, and advisor in this whole journey through the entertainment world). I quickly decided that this is something I wanted to do and learn more about so I started studying and auditioning for everything I could possibly do. A few years later I have been in a couple dozen productions and I’m still learning new things every day.

This is a tough business but there are some really great people out there. I’m thankful for the original opportunity and I’m also thankful that the little girl that started it all, Chalet Brannan survived and is going super strong. She is an inspiration to everyone (I highly recommend you look her up on IMDB). I can only imagine how difficult her battle with cancer was for her entire family. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for her!

So that’s the story of how I got started in acting. I don’t know where this will lead me but I am having a blast and creating memories that will last a lifetime. I do want to take this time to thank everyone that has supported me including my work partners, my friends, and most importantly my family. My wife and kids have been incredibly supportive and put up with me working nights, weekends, and countless auditions. In the end this is about all of you as I try to entertain you and make shows that will stand the test of time knowing I always have a long ways to go and tons to learn.

How I Got Rid of “Old Man” Aches & Pains

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I have always worked out and tried to keep in fairly decent shape.  That said, after 40 I started to suffer from chronic aches and pains.  It got to the point where it was hard to get up from a seated position or even to reach down and tie my shoes some mornings.  I usually loosened up some over the course of the day but things like getting in and out of the car and other simple tasks just weren’t as easy as they used to be.  Keep in mind that I wasn’t really overweight and I was staying active so I thought I was doing all the right things.  That was until I found out that some of the workouts I was doing were actually making me have some of the aches and pains.  I switched to fasted exercises every morning and functional body weight exercises twice a day (most days).  I cut out cardio and ADDED some carbs back to my diet and it made all the difference.

Morning Routine (10-15 Minutes of Exercise)

So by far the biggest difference for me is getting up (3:45am) and doing fasted exercises (working out after sleeping and at least 5 hours since eating anything).  There are a lot of different exercises that you can do but I do the following for about 15 minutes pretty much right after I wake up:

  • Scissor Crunches – 15 of these (1 per side, both sides)
  • Sumo Squat Crunches – 15
  • Seated Thrusts – 15
  • Shoulder Tap Planks – 15 (1 per side, both sides)
  • High Knee Taps – 15

I usually get through that routine 3-4 times (it’s not about speed but slow, controlled movements).  You can swap out a number of different types of crunches, squats, and planks to not get bored.  The important thing is to get your motor running first thing and to get your body warmed up for the day.

Eating Throughout The Day

Breakfast – So in the morning I usually have egg whites on tortillas or oatmeal with almond butter in it.  Just don’t go crazy on breakfast and keep it reasonably clean.  I am striving for a bit of protein and yes some carbs first thing after my fasted workout.

Lunch – My lunch generally consists of chicken, brown rice, and some broccoli.  I can just as easily do a wheat wrap with chicken breast and veggies as well.  In general it’s clean eating but I do eat some carbs just better carbs (no fries, chips, etc.).

Dinner – My dinner is usually meat and veggies.  I may sometimes have brown rice again but the main thing I try to get in is some meat (protein) and veggies.

Snacks – I generally snack on almonds, walnuts, pecans or some other kind of nut.  I try to avoid peanuts and cashews though as much as I can.

Coffee – black with some truvia or some sort of no calorie sugar substitute.  Actually eating clean is easy for me but not drinking cream in my coffee is a challenge (I don’t do it though as much as I love it).

Fruit – I’ll eat it but try to stick to berries (strawberry, blueberry, etc.).

Evening Routine – Longer Workout

So 4 or 5 times a week I add a longer evening workout routine.  This is generally speaking some sort of tabata with body weight exercises.  I have A LOT of different routines that I do but I’ll give you one example one (all of this is without resting).

  • 30 seconds (shoulder tap planks)
  • 30 seconds (scissor crunches)
  • 30 seconds (shoulder tap planks)
  • 30 seconds (lateral lunges)
  • 30 seconds (shoulder tap planks)
  • 30 seconds (sumo squat crunches)
  • 30 seconds (shoulder tap planks)
  • 30 seconds (three punch combo with knee)
  • 30 seconds (shoulder tap planks)
  • 30 seconds (burpees)

REPEAT 5 TIMES

Once I am done with that I’ll generally do a plank tabata or some other type of ab work (honestly I only do this extra work about 2 times a week).  It’s important though because I have found that planks are one of those things that you lose endurance for pretty fast if you don’t do them regularly.

My Results

For me, making all of these changes and dropping the heavy cardio or lifting exercises I had been doing helped me lean out considerably (close to single digit body fat percentage).  In addition most of the aches and pains I used to experience are gone.  So for me it’s nice to look better but the real value is in feeling better.  Those aches and pains can really get old and completely change your attitude.  For me, I have to credit the fasted exercises in the morning a lot but I’m sure my diet and evening exercises help as well.  I don’t know if this will work for you or not, but I suspect it won’t hurt most to give it a shot and see how they feel and/or how it goes.

 

 

 

 

 

10 Ways to Work Your Core As You Prepare for Your Next Acting Role

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Okay so it’s that time of year!  For me that doesn’t mean a New Year’s Resolution to get abs it’s simply about a six-week period leading up to filming a role.  I don’t always get that much lead time and frankly I need to be working on staying lean year round (but like most people that’s easier said than done).  So as I am hitting workouts I am focused on ways to work my core and here are some of my favorites including a new technical way to do it.

  • Bicycle crunches – link – These I try to do 30 or so in each round.  After you get a few rounds in this should be a challenge but if it is not, just increase the number per round until you are zonked after 4 or 5 rounds.  If you can’t get to the point of failure then congrats I assume you have a six-pack already.
  • Sumo squats with side knee tap – link – The example video here shows the traditional sumo squat which I do and then I raise my knee at the side up and touch my elbow to my knee.  For some reason that side crunch I get from the elbow tap feels amazing and works the old love handles.  I typically do 15-20 each round of these.
  • Superman planks – link – This one sneaks up on you.  It generally feels easy and good until you get into later rounds (I also do 15-20 each round of these).  The challenge here and it gets better the more you do them is to raise up enough and then hold that superman position.
  • Reverse alternating leg kick planks – link – Okay so when I am doing a plank superset I almost always alternate with this exercise and/or alternating leg side kick planks.  You can do 30 of these if you have the time usually in between other types of ab exercises.  They aren’t as difficult but they are effective.
  • Side planks with a thrust – link – Okay so this one is a direct attack on the love handles and you feel it almost immediately.  This is one of my favorite ab exercises (not because I enjoy doing them), I just feel like they are extremely effective.  I do 15-20 of these per round holding for a second or two on each thrust.
  • Pelvic thrusts/tilt (mind out of the gutter please) – link – This is again one of the easier exercises but it is one that also feels really good while you are doing it.  You might be thinking hey that is not working my abs – okay but it’s a core exercise and another area you need to target.  You can do more of these but 15 each round is enough.
  • Commando planks – link – Okay you had to know that I couldn’t possibly leave this exercise out of a core workout routine.  For some reason it feels like a manly man’s exercise (probably just the name).  Anyway, it’s tough and I’ll again do 15-20 of these each round.
  • Squats with alternating side kicks – link – Here is another variation of a squat which I pretty much like all squats for working my core but this one is just fun.  I frequently change the angle of my kicks and I would say it’s more like a side/angeled push kick (if you can picture that).  Another 15-20 each round.
  • Heel tap crunch – link – This is really another almost active rest drill for me that is also targeting those handles on my side.  Speaking of which I hate the term “love handles” because nobody loves them.  That’s just squishy fat that nobody should want to hold onto.  You can do a bunch of these but just keep it to 15-20.
  • Stealth trainer gaming – link – This one is next level thinking in my humble opinion.  You play a game while you work a plank from all kinds of crazy angles.  I love/hate this part of my training.  You basically do this for as long as you can and score as many points as you can each round.

There are tons of additional ways to work your abs and most of this was just a lead up to be able to tell you what works for me as well as to tell you about the Stealth Trainer (which I have zero affiliation with but certainly wish I did).  Sometimes I am in awe of people that can invent something that you look at and say “now THAT is a great idea.”  This is one of those because it makes working your abs through planks and hitting weird positions a breeze.  I can’t say enough about it (although it’s not super fun like a lot of games because you are very aware that you are working out despite what they say in the ads).

So whether you are trying to lean out for a role or just want to try to pursue those six pack abs that have eluded you all your life (or both like me).  I hope these exercises help you somewhat.  Keep in mind though that abs are going to always be greatly impacted by your nutrition plan (sorry but it is largely about what you eat combined with exercises like these).  Be sensible, eat clean, and get the abs you want!

How to Be The Committed Actor That Everyone Loves to Work With

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So I was on set yesterday and came across something that in indie film (especially ultra low budget) has happened quite a few times to me.  We had a lead actor no show.  In this case we were able to power through and the director dutifully stepped up to play the part (which made for quite the challenge for her).  However, in many other cases this resulted in delays (usually several hours), last minute scene changes, and other scrambling.  Most directors and production companies seem to be used to these types of issues and they just power through them.  Which leads me to my point and that is that when you commit to a film (verbally or in writing) just commit to it.  Don’t just say you will do something and then cancel the moment something better comes along.  In the short-term you may have a better gig but in the long run word will get out and you just won’t get as many opportunities.

I guess it’s hard for me to relate to this because when I make a commitment to a production I honor that commitment (unless I am physically unable to for some reason).  So yesterday I also received a way better offer to be on an episode of a national TV show.  I declined because it wouldn’t work well within my other commitments to these ultra low budget productions.  You know what?  The director completely understood and was open to giving me another chance for a future episode (he was okay because I was honoring my commitments).  In the end, you have to be an actor that people can count on.  If another director or even your agent encourages you to break commitments, then my recommendation would be to break ties with them instead.

8 Ways to Simply Honor Your Acting Commitments

  1. Be easy to communicate with, check and respond to emails, texts, and other communication from the production team.  The more prompt you can be the better.
  2. Be on any conference calls or meetings that the director calls (again I have experienced this multiple times where actors just skip meetings).  Ironically, those that skip are usually the ones that complain about lack of communication.
  3. If you have rehearsals, be there.  Every chance you can show the director that you are easy to work with, reliable, and seeking direction for your role, the better it will work out for everyone.
  4. Confirm your call times with the director or production assistant and just be sure they know as soon as possible of any time conflicts so they can plan accordingly.  If you haven’t received the call sheet the night before your scene, contact them proactively to nail everything down.
  5. Show up before your call time to run scripts and just reduce the stress on the whole team (it’s way better to be the person waiting than the person everyone is waiting on).
  6. Show up knowing your character, knowing your lines, and just prepared to deliver.  Nobody wants to have to do tons of takes because you don’t know your part.  Do the work in advance and be ready.
  7. Don’t be difficult on set.  When you are on set it’s not about you it’s about creating the best production possible.  Don’t ruin that by being a pain to anyone.
  8. When you are done help clear out as best you can or at a minimum pick up after yourself and clear out after thanking the director and the whole team.

All of this really can be summed up by just being professional.  Filming is hard work whether it is an ultra low budget production or a major motion picture.  Show appreciation for what everyone is doing and try your best to just go with the flow.  Most importantly, just be present (physically AND mentally) at all times and you will be good to go!

 

 

 

Learn to Solve the Rubik’s Cube in Six Steps

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Have you ever wondered how long it took someone to learn how to solve the Rubik’s cube?  Maybe you felt like it was some supernatural gift that some people have and some people just don’t … like the ability to climb buildings (spider man) or the ability to be bullet proof (Luke Cage).  I set out on a mission to learn the Rubik’s cube and I decided the way I would do it would be to set a goal of solving the cube at least once every day for 30 days.  I figured that if I was able to accomplish that then I would indeed have finally mastered this task dispelling the myths and legends and/or finally obtaining this magical superpower.

So as an immediate disclaimer this is NOT a speed cubing article nor is that an objective that I have out of the gate … so this article will NOT cover techniques to allow you to solve the cube in under 10 seconds.  You will however with this method be able to solve the cube in under 5 minutes (usually much faster but you get the point).  I do believe though since this is the traditional method of solving the cube that most people should start with this technique and then graduate on to speed cubing after mastering the basics (this is a walk before you run kind of thing).

If you are like me you will have already explored many YouTube videos and maybe an online course or two where you saw all kinds of crazy notation that you had no hope of ever remembering.  So that gibberish is actually a real thing and you WILL want some form of notation.  My only modification to what most courses teach is you to tell you to just come up with one that is meaningful to you and that you can remember.  You are not going to be judged on your ability to remember F and F prime.  People will only care that you figured out how to solve the cube and whatever notation you use is really temporary until your muscle memory kicks in anyway and you are solving the cube on autopilot (that said I will show you the notation that I used).

Some online courses I have watched and reviewed on Udemy (I am not affiliated with Udemy but I take dozens of courses there every year) in the order of which they helped me:

  1. https://www.udemy.com/solve-rubiks-cube-in-6-easy-steps/ – this is essentially the original technique and the course that got me finishing the cube.
  2. https://www.udemy.com/simplerubixcube/ – also a very good course with an engaging instructor – you might like this one better
  3. https://www.udemy.com/solve-3×2-2×2-rubiks-cube-with-just-one-simple-algorithm/ – this is another useful one and it heavily uses the notations that I mentioned above
  4. Search Udemy for more (I could list them all but the above courses were my favorite even though I bought all of the course on Udemy for solving the cube).

So one more thing about me that you should know is that when I set my mind on doing something I generally go all-in on it.  Thus, me buying tons of courses and watching even more videos on YouTube and reading tons of articles (some of which help and many of which did not help at all).  I get locked in on a mission and just power through as much material as I have to until I accomplish my goal.  You will need a bit of that focus and stubbornness to get through what it takes to learn how to solve the cube.  Basically DON’T GIVE UP!

The six steps that you will learn to always solve the cube include:

  1. Solving for the white cross – not just any old white cross, thee white cross
  2. Creating the T’s, the first row of the sides, and completing the white side
  3. Filling in the T’s and completing the second row of the sides
  4. Solving for the yellow cross – any old yellow cross will due at first
  5. Lining up the yellow cross with the middles (aka thee yellow cross)
  6. Solving the puzzle (the last techniques are repeated until you are done)

Step 1 – THEE Old White Cross

Okay the goal here and until you move to step 4 is to keep the white side of the cube (the one with the white piece in the center) on top (or consider that the top of the cube).  You need to line the middle pieces so that you have a white cross on top and most importantly the colors on the side of each branch of the cross needs to match the middle piece color of that side.  So white on top blue on the side should be lined up with the blue middle piece, the white on top red on the side should be lined up with the red middle piece, and so on with orange and green (if you have a cube with standard colors – if your colors are weird then probably go buy a different cube).  Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

Step 2 – Mind your T’s

Okay now what you want to start to do is look to the third/bottom row for white pieces to move to the top.  If you don’t have any on the bottom row you probably want to manipulate the pieces (keeping THEE white cross intact) to get them on the bottom row.  Then you will want to line them up with the two colors that they need to match.  So the top color is white, one side matches the middle color of the right side and the other color matches the left side middle.  In the end you will end up with the left side of the cube solved (all white) and the first row all the way around the cube will have colors that match the middle piece on each side.  The top row and middle piece being the same color is what is referred to as a T.  You will have 4 T’s before you have finished this step.Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

Step 3 – Top Two Rows or  You’re Up a Creek

It starts to get a little harder at this point because you have to do a little more manipulation to get the pieces of the second row to match the middle color on each side.  The end result will be the top two rows of the the blue, green, red, and orange sides all matching the respective middle piece (blue, green, red, and orange).  In order to accomplish this you will once again be looking to the bottom row for your pieces making sure that you focus on any center piece on the bottom row that doesn’t have any yellow on it.  If you don’t have any center pieces at the bottom with no yellow then that means you will have to move some down from the second row.Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

Step 4 – The Yellow Cross (you should have to do this step between 1 and 3 times)

At this point you will flip the cube over and now the yellow side of the cube is the top and the white side is the bottom (they should be opposite of each other if you have a standard cube).  From this point forward you will need to learn and execute a few patterns.  If the yellow side (the new top) has only a yellow in the center then you will do this three times.  If there is a yellow line down the center hold that to where it is vertical and repeat the pattern (you will do this twice).  If there is a yellow L then you will hold that so it is in the bottom left of the cube and you only have to do the pattern one time to clear this step.  The pattern that I use is RU, [TL, BL], [TR, BR], RD.  I totally made this notation up but it shows the pattern in braces that mirror each other.  In my silly notation the following is the key:

First Character – the side to move

R – Right side
T – Top side
B – Back side (the side opposite the one facing me)

Second Character – how to move it

R – Counter Clockwise (right)
L – Clockwise (left)

If you are a purist this notation is total non-sense but I don’t care because it works for the way I remember things and it might work for others.

Okay so repeat that pattern shifting the cube as necessary until you get the L and complete the yellow cross.Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

Step 5 – Wait! I Meant THEE Yellow Cross

So you really can’t skip Step 4 (at least I cannot).  So you haven’t done anything wrong but your goal with THEE yellow cross is to line up the middle colors with the two solved rows you already have.  This is probably the easiest pattern for me to remember (not sure why there is probably a scientific reason for this).  Anyway using my crazy notation it is:

[RU TL] [RD TL] [RU TL TL] [RD TL]

If you execute that sequence successfully once then you will indeed have THEE yellow cross now.Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

Step 6 – Complete the Cube

Okay there is good news and there is bad news.  The good news is you really only have one pattern left to learn in order to be able to always solve your cube.  The bad news is it is weird.  It will involve you (remember you are not speed cubing) to rotate the cube.  The pattern goes like this (I have to write this differently because of the turns):

RD
Turn the cube counter clockwise
RD
Turn the cube counter clockwise
RD
Turn the cube clockwise
RU
Turn the cube clockwise
RU
Flip the cube over
TR
LD
TL

*YOU MAY NEED A VARIATION OF THIS MOVEMENT WHERE YOU USE THE LEFT SIDE TURNING CLOCKWIZE AND THEN COUNTER CLOCKWISE.

YIKES!  I’m sorry but there isn’t a great way for me to write this one (and remember other cubers will laugh at this notation but just ignore them) so you can remember but when you are doing it, it’s actually really easy and just works so …Check it out in the image below and the tutorial video at the end of the article.

So the final conclusion of all of this is that I did indeed learn how to solve the cube through this technique and it took about 2 weeks of solving the cube 1-3 times per day and committing what I learned to muscle memory (where I just automatically complete the six steps required to solve the cube sliding pieces around without thinking about it too much).  It’s not something that comes to most people naturally so just decide whether you really want to learn how to do this or not.  If you are willing to endure some frustration then give it a go, if not then just go ahead and move on now.