Behind the Lens with Ziggy: Crafting Visual Stories for Music’s Next Wave
Photo: Zane Qureshi
Tell us your name, age and a little bit about yourself.
I am Zaine “Ziggy” Bugg, I am 16 years old and I am a videographer, photographer & creative from Adelaide, South Australia.
How and when did you first get into videography and filmmaking?
I started to get into videography a couple of years ago, probably around quarantine, but I’ve always been into editing videos. I got a camera for my birthday a few years back and would take that everywhere with me; taking videos of my friends and my life, editing it all together, and posting it online. I got positive feedback and then I kept doing that.
Do you study any creative subjects in school?
In school right now, I am doing art design, visual arts and photography/media marketing, and next year I will be studying creative arts.
What is your creative process like when directing and editing videos?
To start, I usually collaborate with the artist/client and just listen to their song a bunch of times to put together a general vibe and concept behind the video. And then, whether it’s a run-and-gun kind of video or we pick locations, I just gather video inspo and have a lot of conversations with the artist as well. Then we go out and film for however many days we need to get all the footage. With my editing, I will gather a lot of inspiration to decide what effects and style I will use to edit the video.
Who inspires Ziggy?
Of course, my parents inspire me to do everything I do and make my path as a creative person. My friends inspire me, too, because they all have their creative pursuits, and I am so happy we can do this together.
What is your wildest dream as a creative?
Probably to move beyond Australia. It seems pretty far right now, but I’m sure I will be able to do it one day. From a very young age, I have always wanted to direct my films, and I guess that through doing what I am doing, it is a starting point.
Going on that… Who are some directors who inspire you or influence your work?
Cole Bennett has been pretty influential for a while. Recently, I have been inspired by specific creators and their niches, including CreativeFlow, Portfolios, and Tiny Tapes.
If allowed to create a music video for any artist, who would they be and why?
Probably anyone from Opium, so Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti. I love their music but with the rage energy from their songs, I could create some amazing work with AI, CRT, mixed media and any of those fast effects.
The new magazine is titled Nostalgia. What are some of your most nostalgic and/or favourite memories from your childhood?
The most nostalgic memory I have would be going with my mum to pick up my older sister from school and waiting outside her classroom. Whilst outside I would make friends with all the other children there and we would all play with our Ben-10 watches and toys.
Also, another nostalgic and fond memory I have is watching all the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies with Dad too.
What are your thoughts on the Adelaide creative scene?
Well, I have only been doing what I am doing for less than a year now, but in these 11 months, it feels like I have met so many new people, and I didn’t know that the Adelaide creative scene was this big.
Who are your favourite musicians at the moment?
Some of my favourite artists right now are Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Midwxst. In a different genre, I like Deftones, Slipknot and any heavy music. My father's music, being a lot of death metal, has influenced a lot of what I listen to now.
What are your favourite fashion brands?
Recently, this company called the Lucky brand just dropped this hoodie, and that’s coming soon, so that’s pretty sick. Onlycurse is another one. They make gothic distressed pieces. I haven’t got anything from them yet, but I have been loving what they’ve been dropping lately. Also, Riot Hill.
What were your favourite nostalgic toys, books and shows growing up?
My favourite show would’ve been Spectacular Spiderman, Invincible Iron Man, Ben-10 and shows like that. In terms of toys, Thomas the Tank Engine, Mighty Beans or Beyblades. And with books, at my Nana's house she had this pop-up Star Wars Return of the Jedi book and that was super cool.
So you are 16 now. What do you hope to be doing in five years?
I hope to be working with people outside of Adelaide or even outside of Australia. Hopefully, I’ve moved out of my parent’ house, and I am making a living doing this kind of work I love doing.
What kind of gear do you use?
I use about five different camcorders. I have two Sony Handycams, A small digital camera that I take photos on, A Kogan camcorder and my main camera for shooting is a Lumix G85.
What can people expect to see from Ziggy in the coming months?
I am working with lots of artists such as Baakio, Ethanrip, Swiiza and Archie Low so expect some super sick music videos soon.
