Picture Analysis

BBC's "Week In Pictures": 3-9 April 2021

This image is a P.O.V medium angle long shot of the Belfast riots in which the viewer can witness firsthand what the shocking moment that the Peace Walls were set alight, upfront and in the moment. The photo uses the "rule of thirds' to draw the audiences attention to the centre of the image, seeing a silhouetted man standing in front of ferocious flames to create a fearful hellscape, this is furthered by how, due to the dark nighttime setting, the lighting comes solely from the flames in the background, not a camera flash, making everything the foreground black. This creates mystery and fear, as the hidden identities combined with the dangerous setting connote the binary opposition of Friend vs. Foe. The mise-en-scene such as the gates being destroyed and the surrounding rubble showcases the devastation and chaos, the man holding the jerry-can further emphasises this as an attack on an establishment (mirrored by the large metal gates symbolic of authority and order), juxtaposing the chaotic surroundings.