RAMBLIN' RACER

Two underdogs take on the motorsports world quickly find the road to glory has many unexpected twists and turns.

  • Neil McGregor
    Director
  • Neil McGregor
    Producer
    Deadpool, Aquaman
  • Samantha Timms
    Producer
  • Tim Boyle
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Phil Robinson
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Lynda Boyle
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Neil McGregor Self
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Motorsports
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 21, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Brisbane International Film Festival
    Brisbane
    Australia
    October 23, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Visions Splendid Outback Film Festival
    Winton, Queensland
    Australia
    June 27, 2021
    World and Australian Premiere Screening
Distribution Information
  • Pivot Pictures
    Sales Agent
    Country: Australia
    Rights: Video on Demand, Theatrical
    Country: New Zealand
    Rights: Video on Demand, Theatrical
Director Biography - Neil McGregor

Neil McGregor graduated from Australian Film, Television & Radio School & Griffith University with high distinctions and acceptance into honours. While at University, his films were shortlisted for Tropfest Film Festival and opened the Brisbane International Film Festival. His directorial debut feature film The Little Things was financed by Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, and was highly successful at film festivals globally, securing distribution and Neil was inducted into the Australian Directors Guild. On the back of this success, he relocated to Vancouver, Canada where he was added to the directing roster for TV commercials in North America. While developing a slate of projects, he also worked in Locations and Assistant Director Departments where he informally shadowed several directors on various films including Godzilla, The Interview, Fifty Shades of Grey and secured a literary agent. After working on the Seth Rogan film 'The Interview' his personal information was stolen during the Sony-North Korea hack and ended up on Wikileaks. Shortly after he relocated back to Australia.

On arrival, Neil commenced as Vice President, Locations & Production Attraction at Screen Queensland. Neil played an integral role in helping attract more than $335 million in production investment into Queensland and provided locations assistant on numerous productions including Aquaman, Thor: Ragnarok, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Godzilla Vs Kong, Kong Skull Island,

Due to the increased amount of film production activity in Queensland, Neil found a location at Hemmant, conceptualised a studio design and was part of a team that and oversaw the build process of what would become Screen Queensland Studios, Australia’s third largest studio complex. Paramount Pictures was the first production to use the studio and is a legacy for the future of the Australian film industry. Upon departing Screen Queensland, Neil founded Glass.Engine (digital content creator with a focus on people and branding for environmentally conscious companies) & Dreadnought Films (currently developing a slate of feature films and television series).

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Director Statement

As humans we are predisposed to connecting and empathising with people, and sport amplifies this great part of the human experience. So when two underdogs, with no motorsport experience take their racing dreams by the wheel, it makes for high-octane and emotionally charged, nail- biting journey.
To succeed in motorsports, all you need to dreams and money. But for Tim and Phil, it will take all they have to achieve their lofty ambitions. Fuelled by their childhood dreams and running on the fumes of few dollars, they discover the road to glory will test their friendship and family with many unexpected turns, triumphs and a few crashes on the way.
The Impossible Dreams is the key theme. But this documentary opens the hood on the subtext of male mate-ship in the modern age and a fading Aussie car culture. And in this largely male dominated sport it’s also refreshing to have an injection of female perspective with Lynda who sheds light on this and learn that there is more to most things in life then winning a race.
My approach to the style of this documentary is unique. Shot in gritty, visceral and stylised way for the audience to buckle up next to the hero’s journey and never quite sure what lies around the next bend. This is by design, the shooting style is largely ‘fly on the wall’ with minor ‘participatory documentary’ elements, because that is what the world of racing is, in the most truest sense. There is something here for racing enthusiasts, but they are not the target audience. We tap into the universal theme of ‘the underdogs’ we reach a broader audience and capture their attention with action and emotion, who empathise with our hero’s, and feel every high and low of what it is really is like to be a racer explored through the lens of the everyday person, just like them.
Ramblin Racer has Saul Bass inspired motion graphics and fast paced split-screen elements paced by a high energy editing and 1970’s inspired musical score with a handful emotional moments where the camera just captures the emotion in a single take, this underpins an exciting, inspiring and unexpected journey for the audience.