ProfileArtist name: Avril LavgineTrack Name: GirlfriendDirectors: Cameron Webb & Matt BeckleySong Written by: Avril Lavigne Producer:Dr Luke Released:27TH February 2009 from her 3rd studio debut album ‘Best damn thing’.Label: Sony BMGGenre: Pop Rock & Pop PunkType of Performance: Performance based & Narrative

• In the song, Lavigne adopts a rap-driven style in delivering her lines. Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend. The song has been noted to have similarities to Toni Basil's 1982 single "Mickey", and The Rubinoos' 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend".

Forms and Conventions:

Mise en Scene• The first establishing setting we see is a family outing area called 'Golf n Stuff’, this tells the

audience that this where majority of the video will take place.• We then see the protagonist Avril with her boyfriend. She is dressed in a chequered skirt and a

pink cardigan over a pink t-shirt which emphasises her femininity. Her boyfriend reflects a typical skater dude image as he is wearing a black and white full sleeved skater pull over, loose baggy jeans and wears his hair swept to the side.(Typical skater boy look). Avril’s double then pushes the feminine girlfriend out of the way and sings to her boyfriend. She is wearing the exact same clothing as the boyfriend which suggests both are into skating as they wear identical clothing therefore have something in common as appose to the girlfriend who is typically emphasised as a ‘girlie girl’.

• When Avril is performing we see she also has black smoky eye make up, another feature associated with punk culture.( Punks wear black make up as a way of social identity)

• (Setting changes to performance) Avril Lavigne performs with a band on a stage. Theme colours used on stage are pinks and blacks. There is also a white skull on the backdrop of the stage which connotes that the genre of this video is pop/punk.

• Instruments associated with rock/pop are used such as drum kits, electric guitars, keyboards all of which emphasis and highlight the genre of the video.

Props• Guitars, keyboards ,microphones,speakers,drumkits.• Go karts• Golf clubs & golf balls• Hand bags• GlassesCamera Shots• Close up – Show Avril’s facial expressions• Medium close ups - Shows body language, shows clothing, emphasises certain features eg in

the performance a medium close up is used when the camera is on the electric guitar.• Long shots – Show the whole setting of the video, audience are able to see the bigger picture. • Medium long shots – Shows body language & facial expressions.• Short quick edits – Keeps the audience engaged and helps transitions of each setting occur

smoothly.• Use of jump cuts used to switch one scene from another.• Use of computer generated imagery – makes video look professional.

Representation

• Goes against most gender stereotypes associated with female representations. Avril Lavigne goes against the claim that men engage in more aggressive and dominant behaviour as in the video she displays both aggressive and dominant behaviour.

• Avril is not represented as a sex symbol neither does she have any sexual advancements made about her, this could be because of the genre of the video or because of the ‘rock chick’ persona she takes on.

• Although whilst doing her performance she does wear a mini skirt it does not seem provocative in the sense that she is sexually exploiting herself.

• Stereotypically women are portrayed as decorative objects that dance and look ‘sexy’ instead of play instruments. Avril subverts this as she plays the electric guitar.

• Avril portrays the female gaze in that she actively desires men.• She is shown to be confident, bold and empowering which goes against gender stereotype that women are generally the

more shy and weaker than men.• Avrils image as a mainstream artists appeals to the audience as her bold personality is reflected in the narrative

performance as well as the band performance. • The use of CGI also reflects her as a up to date contemporary artist.

Institutions

• Record Labels:RCA 2005 & Artista (Current)

• Collaborations: Evan Taubenfield , Deryck Whibley.

• Girlfriend was released as Avril’s 3rd debut single from her album ‘Best damn Thing’. Again it was one of the top ten in the chart which again suggested that it appealed to a mainstream audience.

• The video was distributed online on YouTube, iTunes, and streaming websites. It was also broadcasted on television and radio stations such as Capital and Choice FM.

• The music channels ‘Girlfriend’ was played on was Starz, Vevo, Scuzz and MTV. The video was played on these channels as the channels specified in pop and rock cultures therefore the audience who listen to pop and rock would be likely to listen to it.

Audiences• The main audience for this video is 12- 18year olds (Mainly female).This is

because Avril herself at the time was a teenager so most of the codes and conventions shown i.e. the way she dresses and the narrative reflects teenage behavior.

• Teenage girls will be likely to imitate her as she shows qualities that make her seem fun and exiting. The fact that she is young also allows young teenage girls to connect with her as they can relate to the girlfriend/ boyfriend theme that is shown in the video.(Most teenagers go through the phase shown in the video.)

• The post feminism theory can be applied to this video as Avril uses the female gaze to make advancements to the Girlie girls boyfriend. She is also shown to be a unique , individual with a strong personality . This goes against the stereotype that women have mellow personalities.