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Film Wins Best Documentary at the Vienna Independent Film Festival

By Lois Thomson

Film Documentary ‘The Ocean – Five Years’ has received and been nominated for numerous awards.

Pictured (l to r) Phil Atkins (Dir. of Photography) and Jennifer Schlieper (director) filming on location for The Ocean-Five Years.

Fim director, Jennifer Schlieper is a Finleyville native, Ringgold High School graduate, and co-owner of Flying Scooter Productions.

When Brett and Bob McCutcheon approached Jennifer Schlieper about creating a two-minute video tribute, Schlieper immediately knew it deserved more than that. "I said, 'I don't think we want to do a two-minute music video; I think what we want to do is a documentary.'"

The video was a tribute to Ryan McCutcheon, 19, Brett's older brother and Bob and Dana's son, who died in a car accident coming home from helping at a local band festival in 2017. Both brothers loved music, and in collaboration with good friend June Bracken, among others, Brett wrote and recorded the album as a way to express his grief; Schlieper saw it as a way to connect with others who were experiencing similar grief.

Titled ‘The Ocean – Five Years,’ the documentary includes sharing, planning, memories, growing up, and testimonies from family and friends. Old photos show the young brothers as vibrant, fun-loving siblings. Schlieper worked with musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chris Jamison from "The Voice," Jimmy Hoyson who was recording engineer, and Bob McCutcheon who mastered the whole thing. “There was such a sense of community, there was a lot of love around this project, said Schlieper"

Schlieper, who grew up in Finleyville, is a graduate of Ringgold High School. As director of ‘The Ocean,’ and co-owner with Courtney Gumpf of Flying Scooter Productions – a Pittsburgh-based and women-owned company – she had previously worked with the McCutcheons, who owned Vault Recording Studios. She remembers, "I listened to (the album) that night and just cried. I was floored by not only the talent and orchestration, but also by the tremendous amount of heart that was in it."

The tracks of the work include Intro, Sinking, The Bottom, Floating, and The Shore. Schlieper said she wanted to be intentional about honoring how Brett had composed and laid out the tracks, and wrapped the story around the music, "so that it ebbed and flowed, just like the ocean."

She admitted she never imagined the success ‘The Ocean’ would achieve. The film won Best Documentary at the Vienna Independent Film Festival, various awards at the Milan Film Festival, and was chosen as an Official Selection by Three Rivers Film Festival in November, among other distinctions.

"For us it was just 'let's see if we can put something into the world that shares light and love and offers hope to people who are going through a really difficult time.' Grief knows no race, gender, age, no household income." She pointed out, "They say that when words fail, music speaks, and I think that's very true. So for us, the intention with the family was to put something out there that could speak to others."

The producers are currently seeking distribution for ‘The Ocean – Five Years.’ Right now it is on the film festival circuit. To learn more about the film and watch a trailer – visit www.FlyingScooterProductions.com/TheOcean

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