Projectile, founded byGerard F. Tierney, is a small, interventionist operation working in film and music that, as of early has almost entirely been phased out, despite some late activity on projects it supported (see 'NEWS'). Gerard's efforts are being concentrated on his other company,Octopoid Ltd, to which those projects have been reassigned.
Gerard is mainly focused on working as a facilitator, helping existing projects get to the finishing line, and consulting on delivery and distribution, though he occasionally helps projects in development to reach the starting gate.
CURRENT
Gerard's most recent credits are as Executive Producer on two features, the documentary Privileg
(2023, director Ali Schmahl) and the award-winning Dark Light Voyage
(2021, directors Tin DirdamalandEva Cadena).
https://privilegfilm.com/
https://tindirdamal.com/ (PLEASE NOTE TIN'S WEBSITE IS NOT CURRENTLY UP TO DATE)
He was also an Executive Producer on the multi-award-winning fiction short Anniversary
(2022, directors Ali Schmahl
and Stefanie Schmahl).
https://alefcinepictures.com/
Gerard is also intensively involved in promoting the work of Berlin artist and filmmakerDeborah S. Phillips.
https://deborahsp.wordpress.com/
He is involved in ongoing projects with all of the above, and is also helping to represent Ernesto Livon-Goldman's feature documentary Wolff on Composition.
https://www.wolffoncomposition.com/
Gerard is a member of the Documentary Association of Europe, the Documentary Film Council and the Radical Film Network.
https://dae-europe.org/
https://documentaryfilmcouncil.co.uk/
https://radicalfilmnetwork.com/
Octopoid Ltd is a minority co-producer in Chongyan Liu's short filmAfterAll, completed in early summer 2023. The film was produced by Le Fresnoy, the French postgraduate arts centre, and was shot in Berlin and at Le Fresnoy.
SOME BACKGROUND
Gerard started in production, sound and programming in independent film, then worked at Elstree film studios before starting Projectile, helping Andrew McCarthy produce and direct the short Higher Mathematics Made Fun.
The film played at festivals worldwide, at cinemas in Europe and Canada, and onsatellite TV, before Andrew and Gerard co-produced a UK TV version,Toys For The Boys. Gerard then worked on development for Projectile and with companies in the UK, Germany and Italy, and Executive Produced the US/UK feature touched: Body, Soul and Credit Card. This first phase of activity under the Projectile name predominantly took place during the 1990s.
Gerard moved into fundraising and admin beyond film, but still worked withDeborah Phillips for over two decades as an Associate Producer on over a dozen short films and on the medium-length UNESCO-supported projectMosaïc. He presented her films at Close-Up Film Centre in London, helped prepare the 2018 catalogue of 30 years' work that she premiered in Berlin at Kino Arsenal, and worked with her at Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival and at other events. This could be considered the second period of Projectile's activity.
The third period - which began around the same time Covid-19 was starting to cause havoc - saw Gerard working with a new batch of filmmakers from outside the UK, and covers the productions listed above under 'CURRENT'.
NOT FORGETTING MUSIC...
Gerard also worked as a music promoter and writer, and spent over three years running the monthly Free Radicals
programme at the much-missed Red Rose Club in North London. He has written reviews for the magazine Rubberneck, and CD booklet notes for Emanem, Psi and Freeform Association. Between 1998 and 2022 he was Administrator for the London Improvisers Orchestra, a number of whose projects have involved film and video.
http://www.londonimprovisersorchestra.co.uk/
Projectile collaborated with Soft Cloud and High On The Pyg Track on an archival 4-CD boxset on Shagrat, Down But Not Out In Paris And London.