The Last Call
(an internovel)

The Last Call, an Internet-based novel from the creators of The Hanged Man is now available exclusively online.

The story is the prequel to The Hanged Man, and is told in an entirely new and unconventional way – all via an Internet message board.

The Last Call develops as any traditional story does -- following story and character arc from exposition through conflict and resolution.  However, the reader’s experience is more akin to the way we all experience the Internet – by actively selecting where to follow the content.

“It’s a natural next step,” said author Glenn Hopper.  “All these once disparate media are merging into single devices.  Look at the pace of development of all these applications designed for telephones and mini computers.  With a single click on a single device, we can go from checking stock prices to finding directions to reading a novel or watching a movie,” he said.

“Users’ interactions with these various media types are seamless,” Hopper said.  “Resultantly, you end up with a smarter reader – one whose entertainment expectations are higher and more fluid.  We’ve moved from an era where story involvement was passive to a much more active environment.”

Unlike a traditional novel, where readers follow the path dictated by a two-dimensional story line, readers of The Last Call will watch the story unfold by clicking and following the links on the message board to watch as a voyeur into the characters’ personal interactions.  “The reader, in this case, is the editor,” Hopper said.  “He or she can choose how far down the rabbit hole to go, and in what order.”

Hopper concedes that the “internovel” as he calls it is a heady concept, and one that might take some getting used to.  However, he says, one whose time has come.

“The stars have really aligned in the case of The Last Call,” according to Hopper.  “The back story of The Hanged Man takes place on the Internet; so this is a perfectly natural way to tell that story.”

Hopper plans several future internovels, delivered in varied formats.  In the case of The Last Call, viewers are witnessing conversations that have already taken place.  His next work, he says, however, will happen in live time.  Viewers will be able to watch the story unfold as it happens.  Beyond that, Hopper said he even envisions a project where readers would actually be able to participate on the message board and even influence the story line.

“Time will tell,” he says.  “Let’s test out the concept, and see where it takes us.”

The Hanged Man - Background

We at Starbox Pictures are very excited about the upcoming release of our first feature film, a supernatural thriller called The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man is the story of six social misfits who meet online on an Internet message board.  The group grows closer as each member’s life in the real world falls apart; and at the behest and guidance of the board’s mysterious leader they decide that suicide is their only way out.  The group agrees to meet in a desolate location, where they intend to carry out the plan.

As the film opens, the group arrives at the agreed upon location one by one.  As the story unfolds, we learn about each character’s troubled past and the events that led each to his ultimate fate.

As part of the marketing plan for The Hanged Man, we are creating a prequel to the film called The Last Call.

Fans of The Hanged Man will be able to dig deeper into each of the characters’ pasts and learn what their lives were like before the film started.  (Have you ever wondered why Jake was in prison at the beginning of Blues Brothers or if George and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? were as vile and corrupted when they first married?)

Re-Defining Story

Because the story of The Hanged Man’s characters transpires in the ever-shifting and volatile ether of the Internet, we realized that was the perfect medium in which to show their stories.

Like viewing a lion in his natural habitat, fans will be able to follow the story of the characters as it unfolded – unfettered or restrained by the limitations of old media formats.

The Last Call transpires completely within the context of an Internet message board with no editorializing or influence of the unseen hand of the author.

From its inception, The Hanged Man has been tied to the Internet.  Starbox raised over $10,000 in seed capital for the film through online promotion and marketing efforts well before the script was even finalized.

Now, on the verge of the film’s release, the producers are excited about this new project, which will not only serve as a marketing tool for the film – it will also stand alone as a fully-developed story: a three act play that chronicles the demise of the characters from The Hanged Man.

The Last Call transpires in the final six weeks leading up to the beginning of the film The Hanged Man.

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Links

The Last Call Message Board - http://thelastcallboard.com/forums/66