Set up in 1977, the North West Film Archive preserves moving images made in or about Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria and offers a variety of access services to users in the public, academic and commercial sectors.
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Pond Life
There's a whole world in a drop of water - take a closer look through a microscope.
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Overview
In the pond, many things are stirring - freshwater earthworms, and tiny aquatic creatures known as infusoria and daphnia. This remarkable amateur scientific documentary investigates microbes in a drop of pond water as seen through a microscope. The film was made by using a binocular eyepiece developed specifically for the purpose, and won many awards, including a Bronze Plaque at Budapest in 1934.
Filmmaker George Higginson was a highly skilled amateur whose work includes travelogues and the recording of activities at Manchester School of Art, where he was a mature student. He also produced award winning scientific documentaries, including 'Pond Life'. Originally trained as a cotton engineer, he served in the army in World War One, and, after art school training, went on to teach drawing and painting at Bolton School for Boys.
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