Chapter 77: Unrestrained Imagination
In front of the TV at the music store, everyone gathered around. Though they lined up, no one wanted to simply buy the album and leave because Avril's new song MV was playing on the screen.
An MV that grabbed everyone's attention right from the start.
With the rhythm of the music, a filthy household appeared on the screen, with trash and pizza boxes scattered everywhere. Under the dim yellow lighting, the green walls looked eerie, and a middle-aged woman sat on a red sofa, holding a crying baby and watching TV.
After a series of quick cuts, the camera zoomed in on the woman's face, and everyone's eyes widened as they recognized her.
It was Avril, even though makeup made her look like an older woman with sagging skin, her distinctive features were still noticeable.
Curiosity surged within everyone; they couldn't understand why Avril would appear like this.
The scene then shifted to a TV within the screen, giving a fresh "watching TV on a TV" experience. On this in-screen TV, a handsome guy was performing a concert on the street, and as the lyrics interweaved with flashbacks, the story became clear.
The woman had once rejected this boy due to vanity, but now, their situations had reversed.
This revelation brought a sense of satisfaction to everyone. Millen even glanced at Judy to see her reaction to the storyline.
However, the atmosphere quickly changed when a beam of light shone through the window, illuminating Avril.
It felt as if a divine force pitied her sadness and was there to console her.
Then, an unexpected twist stunned everyone!
The camera began circling her from behind, and as it rotated, Avril gradually returned to her younger self.
Simultaneously, the entire scene froze in a stop-motion style, with comic book elements filling the walls and ceiling, enveloping her.
It felt like she'd been transported into a comic world.
Avril stood up in surprise, her clothes transformed into vibrant outfits with a comic touch, her golden hair flowing, and her signature smokey eye makeup reappearing.
She then wrapped the baby up, and with a sweep, a metallic guitar appeared, sharp as a blade.
But that wasn't the end; Avril dashed to the wall, smashed through the glass, and found a comic-style helicopter waiting for her in the shower of glittering fragments!
"Wow!" The crowd gasped, amazed by the surreal unfolding of the MV.
"This is awesome!" Some young men held their heads in astonishment.
Each second, they couldn't take their eyes off the screen.
Now, all the people there had no other thought but to watch the MV till the end.
Everyone was shocked by the director's unbounded imagination.
And this was just the beginning. As the music hit the chorus, Avril, hanging from the helicopter, arrived at the concert in the middle of a crossroads.
She leaped down, landing on a car, startling both the boy and the crowd.
Without missing a beat, she grabbed the microphone and started singing, taking the atmosphere to its peak!
"Did your pretty face see his worth?"
"Too bad, you missed your luck, and now that boy is mine!"
With the exhilarating music, people flocked to the car, their faces lit with passion and excitement, as if a grand party was underway.
They grabbed spray cans, spraying color into the air, filling the street with dazzling hues.
In that scene, Avril sang her heart out, with the camera moving through the crowd to capture her fully, highlighting her performance and appearance.
The next half-minute showcased a series of shots as impressive as a top-tier concert.
Including a 360-degree shot circling the crowd and Avril, a challenging crane shot ascending from the bottom of the crowd to the sky, and a single-take shot following the crowd's movement through the scene.
Each shot was thrilling, like watching a cinematic display of visual artistry.
After these shots played out, the song reached the second chorus, and people thought the MV would end at the concert. But suddenly, police cars sped in from both sides, and officers with handcuffs and batons began arresting the frenzied fans.
Some were thrown to the ground, others pinned against cars, and a few tried to escape the police chase.
But most fans, lost in the moment, sang along with Avril and the boy, raising their spray cans and facing off with the police, turning the entire street into a wild scene.
The camera panned from above, capturing the scene as the police clashed with the crowd, with bursts of colored smoke erupting.
As the camera zoomed in on Avril, Millen and Judy saw that numerous police officers were already surrounding the car, climbing it like zombies, inching closer to Avril as if she was an unwelcome presence.
But Avril showed no fear. At the peak of the high note, she raised her guitar and smashed it down, like a scene from the famous painting Liberty Leading the People.
"Boom!"
In that instant, Millen and the others' eyes widened, feeling a rush of excitement.
Oh, my God! Could this really be in an MV?
"F**K!"
Millen cursed in excitement, forgetting about Judy, as he witnessed an incredible, dreamlike scene.
Two tall buildings behind Avril simultaneously launched confetti and colored smoke from their windows, synced with the beat of the drums, layer after layer! Red, blue, and yellow smoke and confetti sprayed into the space, creating a vivid display.
It looked like a magnificent firework display or a wild artist's graffiti, merging into a stunning visual experience.
"OMG!"
"Mom! Am I really watching an MV?"
"This is insane! Totally mind-blowing!"
"I'm buying the album! Three copies!"
"I'll buy ten copies!"
Amid the crowd's open amazement, the MV reached its final scene.
The visuals returned to the comic and stop-motion style, with Avril leaping into the colored smoke, as the helicopter soared above.
Holding onto the helicopter's ladder, Avril left to the cheers of the crowd, leaving the bewildered police officers behind.
But when Avril returned home, the comic elements slowly faded from her body, retreating from the walls and ceiling.
She walked back to the sofa, her steps growing unsteady, and her face gradually regaining her middle-aged look.
The guitar reverted to the baby, which she held tightly, smiling as she watched the boy singing on TV as always.
As if everything that had just happened was only a dream, unreal and fleeting.
The music quieted, and with the final guitar note, a tear slipped down her aged skin and fell on the baby's head, bringing a soft cry.
The screen dimmed, and the MV officially ended.
"Coooooooooooool!" A young man shouted, spreading his arms in excitement like a goal celebration on a soccer field.
Others joined in cheering.
"That was amazing!"
"Oh my god! That was incredible!"
"I'm definitely buying it to watch every day!"
"Is this an album or a movie? Unbelievable! The director must be a famous Hollywood director!"
"Wow, Deval, give me three copies!"
"Three? I'll take five! I want to show this to others!"
"I'll take two, one to watch and one to keep!"
Millen, noticing the surge of people, instinctively shielded Judy, holding her back.
In doing so, he accidentally bumped her face.
"Uh, sorry, are you okay?" he asked, only to see her looking at him with sparkling eyes. "I'm fine, totally fine."
"Good. I'm going to buy a copy. How about you?"
"I'm getting ten copies."
"Huh?" Millen was taken aback, surprised Judy would casually order so many. Clearly a wealthy girl, money wasn't an issue.
"Actually, nine will do," Judy changed her mind, "I'll give some to friends at school, and my siblings. How many are you getting?"
Millen scratched his head, feeling his heart race. "Two will do for me."
"How about three?"
Millen looked puzzled. "Why?"
Judy rolled her eyes at him as if annoyed by his cluelessness. "Give me one."
The clueless Millen paused, then suddenly understood, "No problem! Judy! Deval, three copies!"
Deval's face lit up with joy; this was an even crazier scene than when Eminem's album was released! This MV had ignited everyone's passion, even those who hadn't planned to buy a copy were now eagerly pulling out their wallets.
Meanwhile, in New York and across the U.S., the same scenes of crowds rushing to buy the album were happening.
Avril's song was already a hit with its rock style, catchy lyrics, and easy-to-understand theme.
Adding Ethan's stunning MV into the mix gave it the perfect boost, spreading quickly among music fans.
With word-of-mouth and multiple purchases, this wildly imaginative MV exploded, instantly dominating the music world and taking the front page headlines!