Project Details:

Hope, All the Same is a surrealistic modern day silent film, created as part of the final year of Ross's University degree. Featuring a completely amateur cast, the story revolves around a series of characters linked by a common although not immediately obvious thread.

Hope is a glimpse into the lives of several people: an eccentric man who lives alone with his pet; a strange Clown performing his stage show; a young female chef hard at work; a baseball-capped skateboarder; and a businessman on his way to or from work. Whilst the eccentric man sits at home with his pet, the clown's show tells the story of the businessman's journey and his meetings with the chef and skateboarder.

As the clown mimes an action, each of the three in his tale meets with a strange event and is injured, possibly severely, and as we are wondering what could be causing this to happen, the truth is revealed in a climax involving the eccentric man, his pet and some unexpected others...

Music:

As a silent film, Hope, All the Same relies heavily on the musical score to convey the characters emotions and the development of the plot. The original version of the score featured a solo piano, much like a traditional silent film - a second version of the film was scored for small orchestra.

As the film begins the music is stark and gloomy, setting the tone for the eccentric man's dismal life. The theme changes as we see the businessman on his journey and is still sombre, although a bit more lively than before. After we have been introduced to each of the characters, the theme of the Clown begins, and the mood becomes more menacing. Using a minor-sounding chromatic theme much like Fučík's Entrance of the Gladiators - the typical 'Circus Music' associated with clowns - this theme interlinks with a more intense version of the opening theme as each characters' story reaches its climax. The final section of the film brings the music full circle as the ending theme reprises the opening one and ends on a single, final bass note.