The second video I decided to analyse was AC/DC’s Who Made Who [1986], from the motion picture soundtrack Who Made Who for the Stephen King horror film Maximum Overdrive [1986]. It promotes the band in a creative way, mainly with the special lightning bolt effects on-screen, referring to the AC/DC logo. The music itself represents AC/DC’s version of a rock song.
Visual Stylistics:
MES: In the video, to represent robots several actors have dressed themselves in tin foil. Though this is not realistic, it is very effective in the video because shots of the robots are on and off the screen before you actually notice the tin foil and the fact that the robots are fakes. Where they are at the beginning looks to me like a science laboratory, but it could also be the interior of a spaceship as there are numerous tin-foil covered computers on the screen. When the chorus is sang, and loads of Angus Young clones start to move (in robotic terminology) the clones are each playing what looks to be a pink guitar-shaped bit of cardboard, yet there are hundreds of them.
Costume and clothing is basically as expected. Angus Young wears a similar schoolboy outfit to that he wears in the 2008 video Rock N Roll Train - the cap, shorts, green jacket, striped tie, boots and socks; Brian Johnson wears a similar blue denim outfit (waistcoat, farmer’s flat cap, torn jeans); and Malcolm Young wears a t-shirt and jeans, similar also to the 2008 video I analysed earlier. Simon Wright (drummer) wears what seems to be a red (with white stripes) shirt, maybe a football shirt from the 1980’s, and Cliff Williams wears similar clothing to Malcolm Young. The clothes don’t actually affect the video in any way, other than the fact that each member of the band has their own distinct way of dressing. The A.Y. clones are dressed in the same schoolboy outfit as the real Angus Young himself.
Props used are robotics, futuristic technological advancements, computers and out-of-this-world experimental and clone-making equipment.
Visual Stylistics:
MES: In the video, to represent robots several actors have dressed themselves in tin foil. Though this is not realistic, it is very effective in the video because shots of the robots are on and off the screen before you actually notice the tin foil and the fact that the robots are fakes. Where they are at the beginning looks to me like a science laboratory, but it could also be the interior of a spaceship as there are numerous tin-foil covered computers on the screen. When the chorus is sang, and loads of Angus Young clones start to move (in robotic terminology) the clones are each playing what looks to be a pink guitar-shaped bit of cardboard, yet there are hundreds of them.
Costume and clothing is basically as expected. Angus Young wears a similar schoolboy outfit to that he wears in the 2008 video Rock N Roll Train - the cap, shorts, green jacket, striped tie, boots and socks; Brian Johnson wears a similar blue denim outfit (waistcoat, farmer’s flat cap, torn jeans); and Malcolm Young wears a t-shirt and jeans, similar also to the 2008 video I analysed earlier. Simon Wright (drummer) wears what seems to be a red (with white stripes) shirt, maybe a football shirt from the 1980’s, and Cliff Williams wears similar clothing to Malcolm Young. The clothes don’t actually affect the video in any way, other than the fact that each member of the band has their own distinct way of dressing. The A.Y. clones are dressed in the same schoolboy outfit as the real Angus Young himself.
Props used are robotics, futuristic technological advancements, computers and out-of-this-world experimental and clone-making equipment.
Their performance as a band could be described as being Naturalistic (in AC/DC terms only) but for the rest of the world it is probably an exaggerated way of playing a song. Angus Young adopts his unique way of dancing, either the “kick-dance” or the “stomp left foot twice then right foot twice” dance, whilst playing his guitar, moving across to both sides of the stage seen during the first and second verses of the song in the video. Malcolm Young seems to copy his brother’s dance a little but doesn’t go to extremes and instead retires to playing his guitar. The robots at the start re-awaking what seems to be Angus Young (A.Y.), kneel before him as he awakes, as if he is somehow respected with loyalty, as if he were a king or queen - connotations of AY as a “rock legend”. Half way through the video, AY holds up his hand in the air, a hand movement for the pleasure of the audience, after playing his guitar - this is a typical move that is to be found in most rock music videos; especially when the guitarist wants the audience to rock along, and suggests he’s going to play an important part of the song next, which in this video is his/the guitar solo, where beats the hell out of his Gibson guitar.
In terms of location, the stage which AC/DC perform on seems to be a studio set - there are no clues as to where it is, but this could be because the [video] directors and producers have created a customised stage where the band can perform and where stage lighting is used. The clones-awakening part [during the chorus] could also be s a custom-built set, but in a kind of ballroom-style with a staircase on either sides of the main centre stage (where AY eventually jumps down from the level above nearing the end of the chorus).
Lots of lighting is used as it’s a custom-built set. Hard key lighting, with vivid shadows evident, is used when high angled [crane] wide shots of the stage are used. The same key lighting is used in the title sequence in the Mr. Bean British comedy television series. So even though this video is not at all comic, the Mr. Bean title sequence is another example of where the hard key lighting is used, and also on stage shows and theatre plays to light up the main subject when all other unimportant objects are not lit, so that your attention is drawn to the AC/DC band members and not the sets behind. However, the shadows on the stage suggest that these lights are above and behind the band members. There is a massive beam, a soft Fill-light, on centre stage, lighting up only BJ but not any of the other band members. There is a separate [soft] backlight on AY who is, by now, lying down on the stage, still beating the hell out of his red Gibson guitar, as he wriggles around in circles anti-clockwise (360° and kicking his feet as he wriggles his way around) as the overhead [crane] camera spins in the opposite direction (clockwise) on the guitar solo just after the first hearing of the chorus (1min 51secs). There are flashing white disco lights in the background (see Relationship between Music and Visuals).
Cinematography:
Several close-ups on drummer Simon Wright (SW); seems to be enjoying himself, as is Malcolm Young (MY) who is followed on a panning MCU shot at the beginning of the video. There is a vertically-tilted Medium Close-up (MCU) of bass guitarist Cliff Williams (CW) near the start of the video. Also lots of interesting overhead, crane and high-angled shots used. A low-angled, zooming-in shot of drummer SW at “2mins 3secs”.
Editing:
Fast-cutting, though relaxed in places, especially at the start of the video during the AY-awakening process.
Special Effects (colours, graphics, CGI etc.):
Lightning bolts repeated throughout:
- 1min 10secs: electrifying and awakening AY clone
- 1min 36secs: on middle tube of three tubes as new AY clones are deployed for action.
Maybe these lightning bolts are added as another special effect, but they could contain a little intertextuality and definitely refer to the lightning bolt in the AC/DC logo - a clever way of advertising and promoting the band itself. And another lightning bolt in finishing shot of the official AY Gibson guitar, where his hat flies in and lands on the top of the guitar as the tune fades out.
Another special effect is used at 1min 14-15secs: a flash of light to introduce the chorus.
Relationship between Lyrics and Visuals
The chorus refers to a narrative within the video and maybe a little intertextuality to the film which it was the soundtrack: “Who Made Who, Who Made You, Who Made Who, ain’t nobody told you, Who Made Who, Who Made You, if you made them and they made you, who becomes the devil and Who Made Who...” The chorus is then also very explanatory of the feelings you could possible have as one of the characters from the film, and also refers to the clone’s feelings in the video (the AY clones produced by the robotic tin foil men).
Relationship between Music and Visuals
White flashing disco lights in background (in the stage shots) flash with every drum beat. Also, at start (18secs into video) on every drum beat AY does his “stomp left foot twice then right foot twice” dance. In the drummer SW Extreme Close-up, on every other drum beat the backlights on him dim.
In terms of this video relating to other [past] videos, yes it does because it has that certain vibe to it that relates specifically to AC/DC, especially the lightning-bolt effects which is found in their logo.
Intertextuality: The video definitely contains intertextuality to the film is was made for, Maximum Overdrive (the film, not the video, was directed by Stephen King), where human scientists create a wave of robots, the robots develop a mind for themselves, and starting with their creators they start to wipe out the human species.
The narrative is performance-based with a little bit of narrative from the intertextuality to the film Maximum Overdrive.
Conclusion
This seems to be a very influential, narrative and performance combined video for a song from the film to which AC/DC wrote, performed and produced a soundtrack for, the Stephen King horror film Maximum Overdrive, containing lots of intertextuality to the film, and its’ intended audience is people who grew up as rock fans and AC/DC fans in the 1970s-80s, though it can appeal to people of all ages provided they are AC/DC or rock fans and can appreciate that AC/DC are one of the still surviving “real” rock bands of their time. I can’t imagine young children or girls would find an interest in this song as they would more than likely have an interest in High School Musical or 21st Century pop sensation-group Girls Aloud.
