Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Water Skier Behind Motorboat on 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 · Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
StatusDirect License

$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.

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Water Skier Behind Motorboat on Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from 1961 showing a person water skiing behind a small motorboat on a calm lake. The skier, wearing a bright orange life vest, glides across the water while the boat creates a white wake. The scene is framed by dark borders, typical of old film, with a lush green forested shoreline in the background. The footage captures a classic summer recreational moment with authentic film grain and color saturation of the era.

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: 121076237

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: Supports 1960s editorial needs for American summer recreation, water sports, lake vacations, and family home-movie leisure inserts.
Period detail: The small motorboat, orange life vest, water-skier posture, 8mm color, and wooded lakeshore may show early-1960s recreational boating style.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has an unstaged vacation-film feel, observing a skier and boat from shore or another stable lakeside vantage point.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a small motorboat, water skier, orange life vest, white wake, calm lake surface, wooded shoreline, dark film frame borders, and soft color grain.
Film character: The footage shows authentic 8mm texture with soft focus, visible grain, saturated greens, dark gate edges, and slight exposure variation across the moving frames.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a brief insert, nostalgic transition, recreation cutaway, or memory beat within a sequence about summer lakeside life.
Historical context: The scene reflects mid-century leisure on an inland lake, with motorboating and water skiing presented through a casual home-movie viewpoint.
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 likeness rights.
Research search match: Useful for searches such as 1960s 8mm water skiing, Michigan lake recreation, vintage home movie motorboat, summer water sports, and Grand Rapids area vacation footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent footage from the same reel, then other 1961 Grand Rapids or Michigan lake material, then broader 1960s boating and summer recreation scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Grand Rapids, Michigan home-movie frame showing a small boat towing a distant water skier across a wooded lake. — A small motorboat begins towing a skier across the lake, framed by dark 8mm film borders.
License this still · $49

1961 Michigan lake scene with a small motorboat towing a skier in an orange vest past a wooded shoreline. — The boat gains speed while the skier follows in the foamy wake.
License this still · $49

Grand Rapids area 1961 home-movie frame showing a water skier behind a small boat on a calm lake. — The skier trails behind the boat as water spray spreads across the lake surface.
License this still · $49

1961 Michigan home-movie frame of a boat towing a skier across a lake, with dark 8mm borders visible. — The skier continues across the wake while the boat moves toward the edge of the frame.
License this still · $49

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