Bird Filmmaking Workshop · Mangalajodi
10–13 Dec 2026 · Mangalajodi, Chilika, Odisha
₹33,850 per person · enquiry only
Asian Adventures presents · Only 12 seats
Asia's biggest lagoon.Your first bird film.
Four days on the wetlands of Chilika Lake learning to film birds — not just photograph it — with award-winning filmmaker Kenneth Lawrence, from country boats among thousands of migratory waterbirds. You arrive with a camera and good intentions; you leave with your own edited wildlife sequence and a process you can repeat on every trip after this one.
Dec
10–13
10–13 December 2026
Thu – Sun · 4 days
Not sure your camera or experience is enough? Let’s talk it through. No payment or commitment.
Hear it from the mentor
Kenneth, in his own words. Give it 2 minutes.
Three short clips from the field — how he works, what a mentored day actually looks like, and the footage past participants took home. Tap to play with sound.
Getting really close
Kenneth on the one thing that changes your footage forever — proximity, patience and reading the animal.
We jumped straight into it
What a real field day feels like: rain, movement, split-second calls — and the shot you didn't expect.
What you walk away with
Footage shot by people who came in as beginners — proof of what four mentored days can do.
Why this workshop
Thousands of birds. Not one finished film.
Your cards are full of good frames. The bird is sharp, the light was kind, the moment was real — and yet none of it becomes a film that someone watches to the end.
That gap has never been about equipment. It is craft: knowing which shot the sequence needs next, holding focus on a moving subject, recording a forest so that it sounds like a forest, and shaping the material into a story on the timeline.
Over four days at Mangalajodi, Kenneth Lawrence teaches precisely that — from a country boat at first light, in the reed beds at golden hour, with your own camera in your hands.
Full package: ₹33,850 per person · twin sharing · GST included.
The curriculum
Six disciplines of wildlife filmmaking, taught in the field
Each module is built around a working professional's process — practised on location, then reviewed with your own footage on the edit table.
Camera to cinema
Turn your stills camera into a capable wildlife filmmaking rig — settings, profiles, support.
Field craft
Approach, hides, patience and behaviour reading. This is what separates good footage from great.
Sequence thinking
Stop collecting clips. Learn to shoot a sequence that holds an audience for 60 seconds.
Sound in the wild
Ambience, calls and layered sound — the half of filmmaking most beginners ignore.
Edit & story
Selects, structure, pacing, and a simple edit workflow you can repeat at home.
Career playbook
How commissions actually work in India, and how to build a reel that gets you hired.
Turn your next wildlife encounter into a story.
Four days to build your filmmaking skills. ₹33,850 per person · twin sharing · GST included. Talk to our team before you decide.
Your mentor
Kenneth Lawrence
Award-winning filmmaker and wildlife photographer whose work focuses on capturing wildlife behaviour, natural landscapes and conservation stories through photography and filmmaking.
His film Wild Spiti — The Ghost of the Snow, on the elusive Snow Leopard of the Himalayas, won the Best Film Award at Nature's Best Photography Asia 2020. Kenneth leads wildlife photography and filmmaking experiences across India and abroad — the Amur Falcon areas of Nagaland, Pangot, Mangalajodi, Corbett, Little Rann of Kutch, Borneo, Bharatpur and Tal Chhapar.
"Anyone can press record. Filmmaking starts when you know what the animal will do next — and you are already framed for it."
2020
Best Film · Nature's Best Asia
8+
wildlife destinations led
1:1
footage feedback
From Kenneth's fieldwork
Footage like this. Shot by you.
Real clips from Kenneth's fieldwork — the exact range you'll learn to capture: a tight portrait, an intimate behaviour, and the wide that sells the place.
Blue-capped Rock Thrush
Clean subject isolation — the blue-and-orange pop you chase at 400mm.
Himalayan Langur
Behaviour over beauty. A mother and infant — the kind of moment that makes a film.
Himalayan Goral on the ridge
The wide environmental shot that tells viewers where this story happens.
Hover to play · all clips 4K source, optimised for fast loading
Participant outcomes
They arrived with cameras. They left with finished films.
The workshop was excellent. Kenneth has clearly put his heart and soul into designing it, and it showed in every session. What I appreciated most was that he started from the absolute basics, making it valuable regardless of your experience level. I attended with just one goal in mind: to learn how to craft a compelling narrative. Instead, I came away with so much more — from understanding cameras, lighting and composition to learning how to tell meaningful stories, every session was insightful and engaging. The lodge accommodation was decent. The unexpected rain meant a few things were beyond anyone's control, but the lodge staff went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Overall, a fantastic experience, and I look forward to attending many more workshops in the future.
Abi
Gurugram
I had to cancel my participation at the last moment because of a medical emergency at home. But based on the engagement from everyone and seeing part of the work done, I feel I missed a great learning and networking experience.
Gurbans Chatwal
Pune
I was satisfied with the overall workshop and Kenneth Sir explained it so patiently to us. It was a great learning experience. We had some amazing sightings on the safari. Special thanks to Mohit Agarwal Sir and the Asian Adventures team for organising such a wonderful workshop. Amazing hospitality from Rann Riders Dasada. Looking forward for more such workshops.
Jair Luke Sam
Bengaluru
Your next chapter could start behind the camera.
Learn in a group of 12, with personal footage feedback. Discuss the ₹33,850 package before you decide.
The programme
Four days, structured shot by shot
Every session has a purpose: field time when the light is right, craft sessions when it is not, and a review table at the end of each day.
Arrival & foundations
- Arrive at Mangalajodi (1.5–2 hrs from Bhubaneswar airport) and check in to the homestay
- Welcome session: workshop goals, teams and the ecology of Mangalajodi and Chilika Lake
- Cinematography masterclass: camera settings, exposure for video, composition, movement, frame rates, storyboarding
- Film analysis of Kenneth's short films, then a sunset birding orientation by country boat
Fieldcraft & finding your story
- Dawn boat session as thousands of resident and migratory birds become active
- Footage review and story development: what worked, what to shoot next
- Narrative planning and shot lists one-on-one with Kenneth
- Evening boat session on roosting behaviour, then a documentary screening and analysis
Fieldcraft & putting it into practice
- Morning boat session: tracking fast birds, ambient sound and supporting sequences
- Camera-free observation by the lodge — building the naturalist mindset
- Afternoon notes on filming styles you have yet to try
- Final evening field session on the wetland
The art of post-production
- Kenneth edits live with footage shot alongside you: selects, flow, music and sound design
- Learning outcomes on storytelling, cinematography, editing and ethical bird filming
- Group photo, certificates and closing remarks
- Farewell brunch and afternoon departure
Four days that will change how you shoot.
Four days to build your filmmaking skills. ₹33,850 per person · twin sharing · GST included. Talk to our team before you decide.
The location
Mangalajodi — where hunters became guardians
On the northern shore of Chilika Lake — Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon — the marshes of Mangalajodi host one of India's densest gatherings of resident and migratory waterbirds every winter. In December, the reed beds come alive at dawn.
It is also one of India's finest conservation stories: a village that once hunted these birds now protects them, and its former hunters row you through the channels. We stay in a local homestay, so the boats are minutes from breakfast.
Fully inclusive
What your seat includes
3 nights in a Mangalajodi homestay (twin sharing)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea as per the itinerary
Traditional country-boat sessions on the Mangalajodi wetlands
4 days of mentoring and classroom sessions with Kenneth Lawrence
Footage reviews, live edit session and a certificate of completion
GST (Indian government taxes) included
Not included
- Transport from Bhubaneswar or any other city
- Flights, train tickets and travel insurance
- Camera fees, tips, optional tours and personal expenses
- Anything not listed under inclusions
What you'll be filming
Meet the cast of Chilika
Who this is for
This workshop is built for you if…
Photographers who keep hitting record but never finish a film
Birders and naturalists who want to tell stories, not just make lists
Content creators moving from reels to real wildlife sequences
Beginners with a hybrid camera and a lot of intent
And honestly, not for you if…
you are looking for a relaxed holiday with a camera in the bag. Mornings begin before first light, sessions run late into the evening on the edit table, and you will be asked to show your footage and take notes on it. Twelve seats go to people who came to work.
If that sounds like you, let’s discuss your place.
Four days to build your filmmaking skills. ₹33,850 per person · twin sharing · GST included. Talk to our team before you decide.
Workshop fee
₹33,850
per person · twin sharing · GST included
The full fee covers 3 nights / 4 days of accommodation, itinerary meals, country-boat field sessions and mentoring with Kenneth Lawrence. Travel and the other listed exclusions are additional.
- 3 nights / 4 days homestay with all meals
- All country-boat field sessions
- 4 days of mentoring with Kenneth Lawrence
- Edit workshop + personal footage review
Ask about availability, your camera and travel plans before deciding. No payment or commitment to enquire.
Only 12 seats
Small group by design — every participant gets field time with Kenneth.
Your next step
Interested in joining? Let’s talk.
Share your interest
Send your name, email and WhatsApp number. No payment is required to enquire.
Discuss the package
Our team will contact you to answer questions about availability, accommodation, travel and the workshop.
Decide when ready
If you want to join, confirm booking, payment and cancellation terms with our team before proceeding.
Enquiry only · no payment collected · submitting your details does not confirm a seat.
Questions
Before you enquire
Talk to a human
Have a question? WhatsApp us.
Travel, gear, fitness, payment — our team replies on WhatsApp, usually within a couple of hours. No sales script, just answers.
December is close
Not next season. This one.
Twelve seats, one mentor, four days on the wetlands of Chilika at peak migration.
Dec
10–13
10–13 December 2026
Thu – Sun · 4 days
Full package ₹33,850 per person · no payment collected · 10–13 December 2026 · Mangalajodi, Chilika, Odisha
₹33,850 per person
Twin sharing · enquiry only