“ I started to have a feeling of hope , like if this character is
“ I want to inspire other
people — women and girls in
particular — to direct , write , produce and be visible and
present in every form of the film industry .”
her own life go through similar journeys of hardship . One scene in particular that stood out to her depicts Virgil trying to pull a cow that was stuck in mud . As he struggled to pull the cow out of the mud , there was a feeling that everything in the world was at stake in just helping the animal . After the animal is rescued , Virgil begins going on a path toward a better version of himself .
“ I started to have a feeling of hope , like if this character is able to do this and get the cow out of the mud , then it gave me hope for a lot of people I had known in my own life ,” she said . “ I had also wanted to share stories of hope that could inspire people .”
“ I started to have a feeling of hope , like if this character is
able to do this and get the cow out of the mud , then it gave me hope for a lot of people I had known in my own life .”
She started creating films in 2016 when she developed a short film called “ Ghost Dance ,” which is about a young mixed race Native American man as he learns to navigate the world . From that project , she found that she loved filmmaking so much that she had to keep going .
While she is involved in other artistic endeavors including theater and music , when it comes to filmmaking Shipman feels that is where her heart will always reside , because of all the creative elements that go into it .
“( Filmmaking ) takes every aspect of storytelling ; it ’ s so precise and you can maintain so much control over it to the point where , if you have an idea about how somebody should feel while they watch something , you can use the performances , costuming , the setting , location , what shot you choose , and certainly the composition of the score as well ,” she said , describing the process as getting all of the ingredients together for a magic potion .
When it comes to her writing process , she begins writing first drafts that she describes as terrible and from there , she receives insights from friends , cast and crew members she regularly works with to develop them further .
The entire undertaking is highly collaborative and something she is not able to do on her own .
Using the feedback from testing groups and others who see rough cuts of her films , Shipman and her team work to make their stories as cohesive as possible for viewers and provide them an experience similar to what she felt from watching movies .
“ I want people to come out of it changed . I want them to feel an experience of perhaps hope . Maybe something like what I felt when I saw ‘ Winter in the Blood .’” she shared . “ I want to inspire other people — women and girls in particular — to direct , write , produce and be visible and present in every form of the film industry .”
Shipman has worked with several prominent Indigenous actors , including Lily Gladstone ( who has a major role in Martin Scorsese ’ s latest film “ Killers of the Flower Moon ”), and Evan Adams ( who is most remembered for his role as Thomas Builds-the-Fire in “ Smoke Signals ”).
“ I want to inspire other
people — women and girls in
particular — to direct , write , produce and be visible and
present in every form of the film industry .”
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