The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free

Bio and Bones
The bare bones of how human bodies work introduced by a blobby one-celled character called Bio.
From the collection of:

Overview
A fun 1980s animated educational film on human biology and evolution is introduced by a blobby one-celled character called Bio, who orchestrates the building of a human skeleton. This was a pilot episode for a speculative series on how bodies work by South Shields animator Sheila Graber, aimed at television, but it was judged ‘too educational to sell’ at the time.
Sheila Graber's animations were broadcast on the 1970s national children's television programme, Clapperboard, and the award-winning 12 Days of Christmas was shown on BBC Look North in 1975. She gained an international reputation for the 1981 animations of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories for Nicole Jouve of Interama, the agent for The Magic Roundabout, who began to distribute her animations worldwide in 1977. Once a gifted amateur with improvised rostrum equipment, Sheila Graber went on to win several major awards from the Royal Television Society, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Related

Face to Face Face to Face
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1981 3 mins Location: South Shields
Marking time on a face, a swift, bleak portrait of a man from cradle to grave.

Little Cinders Little Cinders
Amateur film 1952 21 mins Location: Leeds
A magical film in many ways, a fairy tale story using trick photography and with artful and imaginative stop motion animation.

Pipe Dreams Pipe Dreams
Amateur film 1965 3 mins Location: Wakefield
A once common object in many households becomes transformed into a quirky dancing troupe in this simple homespun animation.

For Your Pleasure For Your Pleasure
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1970 4 mins Location: Flatford Mill
An iconic rural scene becomes a protest site for the bitter yet comic vision of prolific amateur animator Derek Phillips

The Battle of Wangapore The Battle of Wangapore
Amateur film 1955 9 mins Silent
Charge into this slick amateur cartoon from the Grasshopper Group which was three years in the making

Plastic Platitudes Plastic Platitudes
Amateur film 1957 4 mins
Specially commended by ‘Amateur Cine World'. Nineteen fifties claymation by Douglas Butcher offering tongue-in-cheek advice for life.

South Shields Silver Jubilee Celebrations South Shields Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Amateur film 1977 6 mins Silent Location: South Shields
One big happy family on the streets of South Shields for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee visit.

Moving On Moving On
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 4 mins Location: South Shields
Getting there: enjoy a racy history of transport and travel by land, sea and air.

Marking Time Marking Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1978 3 mins Location: South Shields
An uptempo look at man’s passionate obsession with time from first light to the dawn of the digital age.

Evolution Evolution
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 4 mins Location: South Shields
Staying alive, from a single cell to a big bang. Blink and you’ll miss the end.

Tyne and Tide Tyne and Tide
Amateur film 1980 8 mins Silent Location: South Shields
Going with the flow on the River Tyne at South Shields.

How the Whale Got his Throat How the Whale Got his Throat
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1981 10 mins Location: South Shields
Travel into the belly of whale lore with Rudyard Kipling’s whimsical tale for little children.

Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.

Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.

Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.

Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland
Inside Film 2012 27 mins
L.A. Confidential's screenwriter explains why he thinks writer's block is a myth, and reveals Clint Eastwood's unique powers of persuasion.

Olivier Assayas (Masterclass) Olivier Assayas (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2010 41 mins
Irma Vep writer/director Assayas moved from film journalism to filmmaking – a fascinating journey told with disarming honesty to Jonathan Romney.

Roger Corman in Conversation Roger Corman in Conversation
Inside Film 2013 61 mins
Jack Nicholson, Boris Karloff, Francis Coppola and making movies in five days – prepare yourself for Corman wisdom.