WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX JIHADIST PROPAGANDA WITH EPIC TRAILER MUSIC?

For the past three weeks I have come across numerous videos out of Syria that have been marked with extensive editing and stylization. The videos often include sepia coloring, shadowing, and super slow motion. In between action shots, bright and flashy graphics shoot across the screen in Arabic.

These videos felt very similar in style to today’s movie trailers. At one point I actually thought to myself, well that shot was pretty bad-ass.



I decided to experiment with these videos. I wanted to see what a Western audience would think of the Syrian video editing. However, I knew that the music playing in these videos (or lack thereof) would lessen the overall experience. I decided to use intense trailer music from artist Zack Hemsey, a song called “Mind Heist”.

I recently played this video for a group of friends, claiming that the men shown in the video were rebel soldiers, part of the Syrian opposition. I gave no other details and pressed play.

I played the video for each person separately. The responses were interesting:

“When did Michael Bay start directing terrorism videos?”



“That’s actually kind of cool, I hate to admit.”

“Holy shit!”

“Crazy.”

“That actually pumped me up.”

Spoiler Alert:

The video is made up of clips exclusively from Jabhat al Nusra, an Islamist organization linked to al Qaeda. The majority of the footage comes from their promotional videos. As Westerners, I knew that my friends would relate better to the trailer music I used. However, In an Islamic context, the original music may create similar sensations for the videos’ intended viewers.

The video clips I’ve selected from Jabhat al Nusra’s promotional videos act as great advertising, especially when coupled with the groups PR campaigns and publicized charitable activities. In a war where there don’t seem to be any rules, no citizen is safe. Men will look to organization that provide the best chance at living another day. Jabhat al Nusra recruits by emphasizing their military skills and success in tactical operations.



I have no affiliation with Jabhat al Nusra, nor do I wish to promote their actions. I made this video in order to explain why a young Syrian may find Jabhat al Nusra (and other Islamist groups) appealing.