How Director Michael Yu Created a Trilogy of Comedy-Driven Music Videos for Archie

Written by Tom White

Filmmaker Michael Yu was pleasantly surprised when British pop artist archie greenlit his music video concept about falling in love with a thief. Fast forward a year and Yu has crafted a trilogy of music videos for the artist—set within a world they’re calling the “archieverse.”

Originally from Hong Kong, Yu is a writer, director, and producer of Chinese and Scottish descent. His latest short film, En Garde (2024), snagged six awards at the 48 Hour Film Project in the Bay Area, including Best Film and Best Direction.

archie is a Scottish singer-songwriter whose music has been featured on BBC Introducing. He’s best known for his hit Nicotine, which has racked up over 20 million streams on Spotify. His work blends various genres, from folk and electronic to pop.

Yu created a series of music videos for archie that mix humor and charm into bite-sized narratives. As these were the artist’s first official videos, Yu was taken aback by archie’s willingness to let him take the creative lead. “They were all such ridiculous ideas,” Yu admitted. “I’m not sure how we even got the crew on board.” 

Yu wrote, directed, and produced the trilogy in collaboration with production label YOUMY and producer Chase Chang. He also reunited with Berkmont—the team behind his award-winning short film En Garde (2024)—bringing on familiar faces like producer Jarvis Nguyen, editor Cristian Rodriguez, and cinematographers Steven Zeng and William Khuu. 

Each video—Colourblind, Dysfunctional, and It’s Like Fire—tells its own unique tale but shares a silly, comedic sensibility. “Sure, they all have crazy storylines. That’s me. But honestly, all I wanted was to see archie get sprayed in the face with hot salsa,” Yu confessed, referencing the heated fight scene from It’s Like Fire. “No archies were harmed in the making of these videos,” he added with a laugh.

Colourblind is a whimsical piece where archie plays a hopeful young musician serenading a lonely mother and office worker in public. It builds to a joyous finale as the three form a makeshift band—using a head of broccoli as a microphone, a baguette as a guitar, and a salad box and chopsticks as a drum kit. What starts as a quirky gag transforms into a touching vignette about how art can connect people from different walks of life. 

Dysfunctional takes on a wild, over-the-top tone to capture the chaos of relationships that the song speaks to. Here, archie is surrounded by a gauntlet of messy characters—from a sketchy pal who ditches him to a lemon-hurling ex-girlfriend. Just when he meets a new girl who seems like a better match, she turns out to be the most dysfunctional of all—a thief who gets them all arrested. The video ends with the colorful cast posing for their mug shots as the song wraps up.

It’s Like Fire dives into the surreal. archie plays a nerdy lad on a date with an edgy girl who leads him into a series of misadventures through a quiet suburb. They first get on the wrong side of an obsessive neighborhood watch member, then interrupt a birdwatcher’s peaceful afternoon by swiping his wallet. The couple’s antics land them in a fiery brawl with the aggravated locals, where the buffoonish bunch are armed with salsa bottles and binoculars as makeshift weapons.

Across all three videos, Yu’s signature style is clear—treating each as a canvas for playful storytelling rather than mere pop visuals. This approach reflects Yu’s broader creative vision as a writer, director, and producer who enjoys stylish filmmaking, comedy, and creating unexpected ties between people from different backgrounds. 

“I am so grateful for archie, who trusted my vision, and to all the filmmakers who helped bring these ridiculous concepts to life,” Yu said, smiling. 

Colourblind was released on all platforms, with its music video hitting archie’s YouTube at the end of 2024. Both the song and video for Dysfunctional drop on July 23, with It’s Like Fire coming out later this year. 

Outside of the music video scene, Yu will be developing several feature film projects. Meanwhile, archie is gearing up to release an EP that will feature Dysfunctional and It’s Like Fire amongst new work. 

Photo Credit: Michael Yu