Taking the World by storm - Avril Lavigne releases Head Above Water Music Video

Thursday 27th September, Avril Lavigne has released a visual video to link with her worldwide number 1 single "Head Above Water". Alongside celebrating the release of her debut single, and a music video, the 33 year old Canadian singer celebrated her 34th birthday, surrounded by all her loved ones. Lavigne took to Instagram moments after releasing the video to the world saying "It makes my heart so unbelievably full to premiere the #HeadAboveWater music video for you all today, on my birthday. From the very first day I started writing this song, I have been inspired and gathering visuals and imagining what the music video could look like. @ElliottLester88, I respect you so much. You are insanely talented. Thank you for working closely with me and hearing my ideas. You not only completely captured my vision, but took this video to an entirely new level, even when it meant going all the way to Iceland. You are my hero. I loved every moment of working on this video with you. Thank you to my co-writers @traviswethekings, I know God brought you to me to work with me and @Stephanmoccio, You slayed on this track. I'm obsessed with the production. Chad Kroeger and @CBaseford, thank you for recording my vocals. You all worked together so well. You all took such good care of me and had my back through this experience. I can't thank you enough."  

Lavigne's video is the visual aspect to the true meaning behind the song. The song uses a vast range of mise-en-scene to represent the emotion. It can largely be argued that there is a sense of pathetic fallacy throughout the entire video because, the colours are dull, they are blacks, whites and greys; which can all link with feeling low and depressed. In relation to the mise-en-scene, Lavigne is dressed in a long, figure hugging white dress with thin, long, tulle sleeves; this is making Lavigne look angelic making the scenery devil like, another way to look at it is that she is the light in the dark. Essentially GOOD VS EVIL, Angel VS Devil. The music video is a picturesque example of what Lavigne went through and felt during the worst challenge in her life. The limited flashes of colour in the music video come near the end of the video, where she begins to see the light, she begins to rely on God. The tints of red, blue and green is a way of keeping the audience enhanced into the video and it symbolises the change that Lavigne went through.

The video opens with beautiful scenery which at first glimpse looks peaceful and quiet yet when you dig deeper into the colours it is a representation to Lavigne's struggle. Cliffs and open oceans, one symbolising and end and another symbolising a constant endless journey.  Then finally caves, being symbolic of darkness and being alone. Apposing to the scenery throughout the video, there is a ample range of camera shots, ranging from close ups so we can see Lavigne singing with emotion, over the head shots so that we can see more of the scenery from a different angle as well as a range of long shots, wide shots and tracking shots so that we get to experience the entire thing as if we were there with her.

The use of fog and cloudy weather, represents the lyrics "I gotta keep the calm, before the storm", the pathetic fallacy is what represents the lyrics within the song, whether its storms, or the thunderous strikes of the drums. The shots during the entire video, cuts to the beat to show a large range of different shots in such a short amount of time. However it makes it really enjoyable to the audience to see, because we get an insight into the vision that came from Lavigne with this song.  Between 2.06 and 2.16 there is a pause in the music, and we get the audio from the scenery which creates a pause within the song that builds the suspense and keeps the audience hooked in because, it keeps them wondering what they are going to see next. Additionally by doing this we get to feel the shift in the emotions, as it is building the audiences anticipation. One vital shot during the entire video is the tracking shot of Lavigne running up the cliff to the edge, then it cuts off to a shot of Lavigne jumping into the water which is significant to the lyrics "keep my Head Above Water". 

During the final minute and a half of the video we get a range of different colour tints; which adds a bit of finesse to the video and keeps it looking appealing to the audience, instead of keeping it black and white. It is a way of showing the switch in emotion, the black and white is her explaining that she had given up, she was ready to give in to the fight whereas the colours automatically switch the mood. This also links with the light flair that we see near the end of video, when Lavigne is under the water. It is a spiritual, and religious representation of Gods presence in Lavigne's most struggling moments.

Finally, the video credits end the video with a small amount of text about Lyme Disease and The Avril Lavigne Foundation; which was created by Avril Lavigne to raise money and help towards helping young people with Lyme Disease. Essentially the ending titles are a way of telling the audience what her song is about, in-case they were unaware.