Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Person Water Skiing on Calm Lake

$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)

Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

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

Person Water Skiing on Calm Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from 1961 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showing a person water skiing on a calm lake. A motorboat pulls the skier across the water, creating a white wake. The skier, wearing a dark outfit and life vest, maintains balance while gliding over the smooth surface. The scene is framed by the characteristic dark borders of old film, with visible grain and slight motion blur. The background features a tree-lined shore under overcast skies, capturing a classic mid-century American recreational moment.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Exterior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121076108

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 for requests needing early 1960s American leisure footage, especially documentary or educational sequences about boating, lake recreation, water skiing, and home-movie family outings.
Period detail: The 8mm home-movie look, modest motorboat, life vest, and recreational water skiing may show mid-century leisure activity in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
Home-movie behavior: The clip preserves an unstaged spectator view of a skier being pulled across calm water, with the camera observing the action from a distance rather than directing it.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a water skier, tow wake, small motorboat, smooth lake surface, distant tree-lined shore, dark film frame edges, and soft handheld framing.
Film character: The footage has visible 8mm grain, slight blur, muted exposure, gate edges, and contact-print softness that give it clear physical-film archival texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief recreational insert, summer memory beat, transition into lake activity, or cutaway for mid-century outdoor leisure.
Historical context: The scene reflects recreational motorboating and water skiing on an inland lake, presented through a private home-movie perspective rather than a staged sports record.
Research note: People are visible at a distance, so likeness review may still be needed; no logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate from personal rights.
Research search match: Researcher searches might include 1961 8mm water skiing, Grand Rapids Michigan lake recreation, vintage home movie motorboat, and 1960s American water sports.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then with 1961 Grand Rapids or Michigan lake footage, and then with broader 1960s boating and recreation material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 home-movie frame from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area showing a distant water skier crossing smooth lake water with a pale tow wake. — A distant skier rides across calm water, framed by dark 8mm film edges.

A distant skier is pulled behind a small motorboat on smooth water in this 1961 8mm Michigan lake recreation scene. — The skier trails the boat at a distance as wake spreads across the lake.

Soft 8mm frame showing a water skier behind a small boat, with motion blur and a tree-lined shoreline in the background. — Motion blur softens the skier and boat as they cross the water.

A small motorboat tows a distant water skier across a calm Michigan lake, with dark 8mm frame borders and muted archival color. — The boat and skier pass through the frame with spray and wake behind them.

Visually Similar Clips