''3 Wheeling'' is a Manx

observational documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill N ...

film charting the

sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, Scooter (motorcycle), scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. The combination of a motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''rig'', ''outfit' ...

class at the 2016

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

. The film used

hidden camera A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

s and lavalier microphones to capture an insight into the sport's highest-profile competitors,

Dave Molyneux Dave Molyneux (born 21 November 1963 in Douglas, Isle of Man) is a Manx chassis engineer who has built Sidecar motorcycles after having finished an accomplished career as a rider in the class. He is the most successful Sidecar competitor ...

and

Tim Reeves Tim Reeves (born 28 August 1972) is an English sidecar racer from Tenterden, Kent. He is an eight times Superside FIM World Sidecar Champion, twice with his younger brother Tristan (2005, 2006), once with Patrick Farrance (2007) and once ...

. The film was financed and distributed by Beaumanx Productions and was shot in association with

North One Television North One Television (also known as North One and formerly known as Chrysalis Television) is a production company based in London and Birmingham, England. Part of All3Media since 2004, the company specializes in factual entertainment, sports a ...

, Blue Olive Productions and the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government () is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of the Lord of Mann (currently Char ...

. It received a limited

theatrical release An art release is the premiere of an artistic production and its presentation and marketing to the public. Film A film release is the authorization by the owner of a completed film to a public exhibition of the film. The exhibition may be in thea ...

in Northern Ireland, Germany and the Isle of Man, and was released on home media in May 2018.

Development

Manx sidecar enthusiast and sponsor Christopher Beauman first devised the idea of a

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

in the Isle of Man TT

paddock A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1. Description The most common design provides an area for exercise and is ofte ...

s hoping to promote sidecar racing to a wider audience, in order to increase sponsorship potential for the competitors. Development began in early 2015 with ''Greenlight International'' handling sales and distribution.

Production

The Department of Economic Development (Isle of Man) provided support in allowing the production company access to restricted zones at the TT Grandstand, and

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place during racing period of 2016 with Dave Molyneux, Tim Reeves and Klaus Klaffenböck attached to star. Manx-Based company Blue Olive Productions captured original footage with racing footage filmed and licensed by North One Television. The camera-crew described the filming technique as "invisibly intrusive" and admitted that it took several days to develop a suitable method of capturing the action close-up, without affecting the race-team's concentration. Beaumanx Productions sponsored ''Dave Molyneux Racing'' in order to secure the publicity-shy racer. The film's director stated that Molyneux's dislike for the limelight made ''3 Wheeling'' difficult to film, but acknowledged that it allowed them to portray Molyneux as a "...brilliant character..." with "...a tremendous screen-presence...". ''Second Unit'' was filmed during the Southern 100 and

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...

2016, and the movie took ten months to complete.

Release

The official trailer was previewed at the TT Press Launch in March 2017 and the film was premiered at the Villa Marina on 7 May. Most of the film's stars were in attendance; Reeves and Klaffenböck were unable to attend due to racing seasons commitments. The film was then released in theatres in Northern Ireland, Germany, and the Isle of Man.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 6693242 2017 films 2017 documentary films British auto racing films British sports documentary films Documentary films about auto racing Films set on the Isle of Man Films shot in the Isle of Man Motorcycle racing films Isle of Man TT 2017 directorial debut films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films English-language documentary films