Jack Neo’s $4K Acting Bootcamp Criticised by Parent for ‘Disappointing’ Mentors

Earlier this year, Singapore director Jack Neo’s J Team Productions launched an Acting Experience Bootcamp, marketed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” programme featuring “celebrity mentors” and the chance to act in real movie sets.

But one parent has voiced disappointment to Zaobao, saying her daughter felt shortchanged after paying nearly S$4,000 for the five-week course.

The bootcamp consisted of five lessons, with participants performing on actual sets from productions like Ah Boys To Men, Long Long Time Ago 2, and Money No Enough 3, complete with professional styling.

Students were split into groups of eight, each guided by a mentor billed as a celebrity.

The parent, surnamed Lin, said her daughter — one of the camp’s first batch of students — questioned if the mentors lived up to the “celebrity” label.

Lin’s daughter declined to be interviewed for fear that exposure might affect her future acting opportunities.

Lin revealed that her daughter had considered the bootcamp her last chance to pursue her acting dream, and paid $3,700 for the course after an early-bird discount. The regular fee was over S$4,000.

In Lin’s view, the mentor lineup was disappointing: “It was supposed to be ‘celebrity mentors.’ Director Neo also said that people passionate about this line need guidance to help them have a breakthrough.”

She added that her daughter already had some acting experience, so she had higher expectations. But when she saw her assigned mentor, she was very disappointed.

Lin declined to name the mentor for fear it might reveal her daughter’s identity, but described the person as a bit-part local actor with only minor roles in local dramas.

In fact, according to her daughter, only a handful of the instructors truly qualified as "celebrity mentors", such as Shaun Chen, Yao Wenlong, and Marcus Chin.

“But the others? Honestly, I don’t think are okay,” Lin said. Some were former artistes like Tang Miaoling, Colin Chee and Hong Zhaorong — my daughter hardly knew them.”

Others were younger cast members from Ah Boys to Men or Ah Girls Go Army, whom Lin felt were not qualified to be mentors.

The bootcamp’s website listed its first batch of mentors as including “Ah Boys” Noah Yap, Charlie Goh, Maxi Lim, and Joshua Tan, as well as Adele Wong, Zhang Shui Fa, Benjamin Heng, Belle Chua Bi Er from Ah Girls Go Army, and Wah! Banana’s Lingyi Xiong from I Not Stupid 3.

To Lin, celebrity mentors need not be award-winning or A-listers, but they should have clear credentials and acting experience.

“Singapore’s second- or third-tier actors, seasoned supporting actors, or veteran performers would be more suitable,” she said.

Sharing her daughter’s experience in class, Lin said that many times the eight students had to figure things out themselves, memorising lines, designing expressions and movements, with only brief pointers from the mentor.  The filming directors provided almost no guidance.

Said Lin: “I asked my daughter whether they were taught how to build emotions or facial expressions, she said no.”

While the course delivered on its promises to produce four short films, provide edited clips, and hold a graduation ceremony in August, Lin said it ultimately failed to teach her daughter real acting techniques.

“So it felt like false advertising,” she said, adding the course was better suited to beginners; otherwise, the benefits were limited.