“As you may be aware, we are gathered here today under the most dire circumstances…”

Two loving parents and their cherished teenage daughter. Plus her boyfriend.

Jim and Mary Wilcox are a happily married couple. They have the perfect home. A generous pension. (Too much) time on their hands. But most dear of all - their beautiful teenage daughter, Emily, with a bright and prosperous future ahead of her. There’s just one problem - her boyfriend, Leon, whose alternative lifestyle and quirky career path as a fashion designer shatter the traditional norms the Wilcox parents expect in a partner. After learning of their plans to rent an apartment together, Jim is inspired by his retirement hyperfixation on Halloween to scare the couple out. He devises a series of pranks and rumours to convince them that the flat they want to move into is haunted, but all is not what it seems...

Jim Wilcox

Jim Wilcox (mid 50s) is Mary’s husband, and Emily’s father. Having recently retired from a prestigious career as a police chief inspector, he spends his now monotonous days hyper-fixated on petty hobbies like painting, sailing boats and building his Hornby model railway to compensate for his excess spare time. He lacks self-awareness of his obsessions. Jim is a self-made, middle-class Englishman; beneath his hard and inquisitive front is a fun-loving family man, nostalgic for the days spent raising his daughter.

Mary Wilcox

Mary Wilcox (mid 40s) is Jim’s wife, and Emily’s mother. She falls into the ‘housewife’ trope, something that is played for comedy considering Jim is retired but still unwilling to take up some of the work. She is often the voice of reason for Jim, helping to rationalise his plans to scare Emily and Leon and organising their logistics. While she might appear timid at first, she represents traditional family values and is complacent in fulfilling a stereotypical gender role.

Emily Wilcox

Emily Wilcox is the daughter of Jim and Mary Wilcox. Young, naïve and optimistic for her future, she is currently enjoying the ‘honeymoon’ phase of her relationship with Leon and can barely contain her excitement of moving in with him. Being brought up in a somewhat traditional home, she is captivated by Leon’s more alternative look and lifestyle that she has been deprived of. She is navigating the exciting beginning of adulthood and the freedom it offers her. Like Leon, she does not understand her parents' objections but is more sceptical than Leon of them.

Leon

Leon is Emily’s boyfriend of 4 months. Impulsive, suave and trendy, he aspires to become a fashion designer. His dress sense can be described as alternative and slightly dark/gothic – a sort of young ‘Noel Fielding’. His trendiness and people-pleasing attitude, despite not being the traditional image of a man, causes Jim to feel emasculated and insecure in his presence. Leon is blinded by his optimism and rarely comes up against anyone who doesn’t like him, making him oblivious to the Wilcox parents’ concerns.

Despite his fashionable and care-free demeanour, he cares deeply about his girlfriend, Emily. He is secure in his masculinity and is passionate to get ahead and start a life with her. He does not see moving in with Emily as big a commitment as her parents do due to his parents starting their life together at a young age. At the end of the film, he learns that he has been hasty with his decision- making and comes to realise the importance of family.

Hi, my name is Jamie Nash and I'm the writer of Mr & Mrs Wilcox. This is a story very close to my heart in the sense that it draws on many of the fears and anxieties that I had moving away from home for the first time. It seems fitting that this final university project reflects these 'starting university' feelings from years ago. I believe that the family dynamic between Jim, Mary, Emily and Leon is something that different generations will be able to relate to, from Emily's teenage spontaneity and desire for independence, to the all-too-familiar paranoia felt by the parents in accepting that their daughter is ready to fly the nest. The comedy ultimately comes from taking a familiar scenario and exaggerating the characters' actions to the extreme, and I'm hoping to bring a sense of warmth and nostalgia through the 90s-inspired setting and autumnal design. Leon's fashion-designer character is intended to parody the ridicule that many members of the creative arts tend to face, particularly when expected to follow an academic career path, and my goal is to use this character to challenge traditional stereotypes surrounding masculinity. As a writer, I love a twist ending and the narrative style takes inspiration from shows like 'Inside No. 9' and 'Goosebumps' that throw a spanner in the works for the audience...

I am Donovan Wardroper and I'm the director of our comedy short film, Mr & Mrs Wilcox. I've been working with members of our crew for three years now and have built healthy working relationships with them but I am equally eager to work with new people as well. Comedy has always been a genre I wanted to explore further, and this film has finally given me the chance to do so. We live in a world that is too pessimistic, therefore the refreshing light-hearted nature of our film will provide a form of escapism for our audience and transport you back to a simpler time. My vision for the film is to combine slapstick humour with real life experiences that our audiences can relate to. The film has relatability for both senior and younger audiences alike: whether it reminds you of your childhood experience of navigating a strict family or your parental obligation to protect your children, this film certainly has something for everyone. Visually, I want it to be exciting, with a vibrant but retro aesthetic and a fast paced storytelling style that will keep you wanting to see more.

Jamie Nash and Donovan Wardroper

Filmography Inspirations 

This film is our biggest and most ambitious project to date, and your money goes a long way to help fund a variety of aspects including:

• Booking the most impressive and immersive locations we possibly can!
• Paying our actors a fair wage for their role in the film 
• Hiring a stunt coordinator for some of the hilarious pranks that our characters pull
• Production design costs associated with securing props and materials to turn 2 locations into their film counterparts- we are looking to turn a local cottage into the halloween decorated Wilcox family home
• Catering for our hard working crew
• Any transport and accommodation costs for our crew and actors

Any money that you can spare is hugely appreciated and we have a wide array of rewards on offer to thank you for your donation!