By Limor Shiponi
So what seems to be the dramatic peak has happened. You know that by now. As usual in Hamas ‘storytelling’ something ‘went wrong in the dark’ and it’s always the antagonist to blame. Blame is an important element with Hamas. Blame is good, it keeps the audience busy book-keeping, counting “one for me, one for you”. This is interactivity in an engaging form.
Notice that in this story pattern there is a giant leap. The audience is ready for the dramatic peak and without intention misses a few important phases in the story, which is good, otherwise the pattern would not work. Tension building was there, everybody was waiting and they got what they were anticipating – touchdown.
The moment this happens, Hamas stops telling the story. It does not need to speak another single word because the audience will do the rest. All their hidden daemons jump to surface, past, future and present and they buzz the story into endless versions all over the place.
Isn’t that a little strange story-wise? Stories are supposed to have a linear form, not an inflated cancer-shape after being cut in the middle. Hmmm… strange.
Now, where does it happen in stories that we can hold onto a plot with a big hole in the middle? When it is the sub-plot of a different story, only in this case, most of the audience is unaware of the main plot because the back-story is well arranged. The audience is kept looking at a very specific moment while the real story is much bigger. The problem with that story is that the bigger story is too big and cannot be captured in one shot. It takes noticing many details – if the audience cares to, and it’s just a hell of a lot of work. We want plots, not a narrative and do us a favor – don’t bother us with the facts.
A little bit about language and images
Big words are good and so are words dripping with emotion. For instance: the entire world (is watching), freedom, justice, innocent, blood, heroes, murder, resistance, peace, condemnation, hearts, human rights, civilians – you know, stuff like that – it works.
When you choose images, make sure they tap into the collective memory in a way the audience will immediately load onto their imagination-screens some “good guys-bad guys” insights like: David and Goliath, women and children in distress, Bruce Willies war-games action etc. and make sure you shake the images a little so the picture will not be very clear. It’s good for eliciting some more daemons out of the audience’s imagination. Very important.
So now you know the pattern and can try it for yourself, see how it works. Lacking the bigger story? I’ll show you just a little; see how it feels and if you can believe it. If you can, you’ll go searching the rest. If you can’t, why should I be wasting your time?
Update June 5th 10:15 pm
Food for thought
FYI, the aid from the Mavi Marmara is still waiting here since the Hamas will not allow it to enter Gaza. Why? you might think it is a symbolic act of refusal.
The story maybe leading in a different direction though. The smuggling tunnels earn the Hamas 10,000 US Dollars imposed taxes per year from each merchant using A tunnel (if they want to use another they have to pay again). Why should they support free access of goods through Israel or Egypt? Good question.
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