CauveryWASI: A Wildlife Documentary Master’s Project

When discussing plans for their Master’s Project, MA Film & Television Production students Shubh Tripathi and Syed Ishaq landed on a wildlife documentary, CauveryWASI.

‘Syed told me about the Humpback Mahseer and WASI’, explained Shubh. ‘He had connections over there, so we had a shot – and most importantly, we had a story that appealed to us’.

This story took the pair across 2,000 kilometres of the Cauvery River – and in today’s blog, we find out more about the experience…

Shubh Tripathi – Co-Director, Writer, Producer, Narrator

How did this project first come about?

After Syed told me about the Humpback Mahseer and the Wildlife Association of South India (WASI), I began to do extensive research.

We knew we only had one chance to pitch our idea to WASI. They’re such a prestigious organisation and have been on the ground for the last 50 years.

And fortunately, our hard work paid off. Everyone at WASI were really supportive – they encouraged our efforts, and next thing I knew, we were there, right by the banks of the Cauvery River!

And as Producer, how did you secure collaboration from so many prestigious organisations?

It was tricky, to be honest, dealing with such a sensitive issue, and getting permissions from all sorts of jurisdictions, bodies and organisations – which our collaboration with WASI definitely helped with.

Then, we had to spend hours, waiting in line for forest filming permissions. We didn’t get everything we planned for, but that’s not unexpected with wildlife documentaries.

You always have to be ready to improvise your way through unexpected certainties. Maybe it was our combined passion for the film, or the people we met along the way, but it felt like everything fell into place by the end.

I’d especially like to mention the support we received from the Karnataka Forest Department, who were cooperative and supportive every step of the way.

You also Co-Directed, Wrote, and Narrated the project. How did your degree prepare you to take on multiple roles in a single production?

Taking on so many roles at once is not easy – every aspect requires its own time and distinctive approach. But the more you do it, the better you get – so it was a challenge I took upon myself, to practice multitasking and to learn more about my capacity as a creative professional.

Besides that, it was also a necessity: we were shooting overseas, and in forests, which meant we needed to keep our crew limited. I had confidence in Syed’s skills as a cinematographer, and we had a shared vision – so we really took this opportunity to work as hard as we could.

This documentary serves as your Master’s Project – how do you think it represents your creative voice as a filmmaker?

I remember late at night, we were filming an interview with a forest guard, and at some point in the conversation, he started speaking about the impact of humans asserting their authority on this planet.

At that moment, I just knew: this is the type of content I want to make. This is my voice.

CauveryWASI isn’t just a Master’s Project – it’s an important story to tell. I believe in making content that gives back to nature and the world – content that isn’t just entertainment, but instead gives you a seed of thought. Maybe I haven’t figured it out completely, yet, but I’m happy to be on this journey.

And finally, how can people continue to support conservation efforts towards the Humpback Mahseer Fish?

It might seem like there’s only so much one can do, right? Especially someone in the UK, trying to save a fish species that’s dying thousands of miles away. But that’s not true.

Financially, you can donate and invest in research, documentation and conservation efforts. You can volunteer with NGOs and develop your sensitivity towards nature and wildlife, or you can build sustainable habits at home, working to keep our planet a habitable space for generations to come.

It all adds up. You might think nobody sees you, or that your actions won’t make a difference, but they do.

Syed Ishaq – Co-Director, Cinematographer

What drew you to this story?

My family is part of WASI, so I’ve always been aware of wildlife conservation and protection – particularly concentrating on the Humpback Mahseer.

This fish species is on the brink of extinction, so with my interest in wildlife documentaries, and experience shooting in similar terrains, it felt like the creative vision for the project fell into place.

Covering over two kilometres across this documentary, how did you approach the visual style?

It was a challenge to maintain the visual style, and one that required meticulous planning and a deep understanding of the craft.

Shot composition was a huge part of keeping a consistent visual aesthetic. We used wide shots to capture the vast landscapes, and relied on natural light a lot, using the ‘golden hours’ of the day to achieve warm, soft lighting.

From a technical perspective, we used drones for the wide shots, gimbals to ensure smoother tracking, and tripods to keep the footage stable. Of course, filming in wildlife-protected areas brings a host of ethical considerations, so we always made sure that our techniques wouldn’t disturb the wildlife.

Avoiding staged scenes, the visual style came from letting the environment around us behave naturally and organically.

And from a practical perspective, what did filming in a forest entail?

It had its own ups and downs! For example, each location had to be scouted for the best times to shoot depending on both lighting and wildlife patterns.

One of the main aspects of filming in a forest is utilising the natural light – but we also had to find a lightweight portable camera that could handle periods of low light under the canopy.

And then there’s the topic of camouflage. We had to blend in with our environment, and spend a lot of time observing animal behaviours and patterns.

Patience is key in capturing rare, fleeting moments, which means being prepared for weather changes, having appropriate first aid, and most importantly, staying hydrated and energised.

This projected sounds like a ‘once in a lifetime’ shoot – can you share a memory you’ll never forget from it?

It really was a once in a lifetime shoot. The best moment for me was at the WASI fishing cottage lake, where we befriended an experienced angler, and even did some fishing ourselves.

We filmed fishing scenes, a productive interview with the angler, and even a blissful sunset fishing session which ended with us catching (and releasing!) a nine-kilo fish.

When we finished our last interview, we were deep inside the jungle in the Cauvery basin, and we saw such a beautiful sunset, with the sun rolling down the hills with the river in the foreground. I was speechless.

And finally, how did MA Film & Television Production help to prepare you for this experience?

The course helped us in so many ways, brushing up our technical knowledge before the shoot, and making us dig deeper into the subject, to find the story that really mattered.

Our module tutor helped us at every step, guiding us in what to do – and what not to do.

But above all else, what the course taught us is how to be professional on a shooting set, to respect other team members and to collaborate in a way that gets the best results out of every crew member.

• Shubh Tripathi and Syed Ishaq both studied MA Film & Television Production at MetFilm School London.
• Learn more about this multidisciplinary degree at our upcoming London Summer Open Day – Saturday 13 July, 2pm BST.
• Donate to the making of CauveryWASI here.