Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Surfer Rises Over Water

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1961
Decade1960s
LocationGrand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1961 Michigan

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Surfer Rises Over Water — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1961, showing a person learning to water ski on a lake. The individual, wearing a bright orange life preserver and patterned swim trunks, starts by floating in the water before being pulled up onto the skis. The clip captures the moment they rise from the water, creating a spray as they begin to glide across the surface. The footage has a nostalgic, grainy quality typical of 8mm home movies, with natural lighting and a handheld camera perspective.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121076055

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel 2015 · 8mm · 3″ reel
Original reel label: xmas,linda communion,,d danielar
Reel-level year note: 1961-1962
Reel-level location note: detroit michigan,
Date: 1961 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful 1960s home-movie footage for productions needing recreational lake activity, water-ski learning, or Midwest family leisure atmosphere.
Period detail: The orange life preserver, swim trunks, water skis, and soft 8mm color may show early 1960s vacation or lake recreation style.
Home-movie behavior: The value is the informal, unstaged view of a person being pulled from floating position into a first water-ski glide.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include lake water, a skier in an orange life preserver, yellow tow rope, paired skis, spray, swim trunks, and dark film-frame borders.
Film character: The clip has grainy 8mm color, soft focus, slight exposure variation, and handheld framing that read as physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a short insert, recreational transition, summer memory beat, or cutaway for learning a sport on the water.
Historical context: The footage shows leisure boating culture through a private home-movie lens without identifying the boat, shoreline, or participants.
Research note: People are visible, so likeness review may be needed in addition to copyright clearance; no logos or private property are apparent in these frames.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1961 8mm water skiing, Grand Rapids Michigan lake recreation, vintage home movie sports, and person learning to water ski.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other Grand Rapids or 1961 lake footage, then broader vintage water-sport recreation.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Grand Rapids home-movie frame showing a person in an orange life preserver waiting in lake water with tow rope and skis. — The skier floats at the start, holding the tow rope before being pulled up.

1961 Grand Rapids home-movie frame with the skier being pulled forward across the lake surface before rising. — The tow line tightens as the skier begins moving across the water.

1961 Grand Rapids home-movie frame showing the skier lifting onto water skis as spray breaks around their legs. — The skier rises out of the water and begins balancing on the skis.

1961 Grand Rapids home-movie frame showing the skier upright and moving across the lake after rising from the water. — The skier gains an upright stance and glides forward over the lake surface.

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