Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Person Water Skis Behind Boat 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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Person Water Skis Behind Boat on Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from 1961 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showing a person water skiing on a calm lake. The skier, wearing a light-colored swimsuit, glides across the water behind a moving boat, leaving a white wake. The scene is framed by dark borders, characteristic of old film, with a dense green treeline along the shoreline. The image has a soft focus and natural film grain, capturing a nostalgic summer recreation 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: 121076378

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 1960s recreation, Michigan lake life, or home-movie sequences needing a brief water-skiing insert with authentic amateur framing.
Period detail: The 8mm contact-frame layout, soft color, lakeside leisure clothing, and metadata-supported 1961 date place the scene in early-1960s summer recreation.
Home-movie behavior: The footage carries an unstaged family-film perspective, watching a distant skier and tow boat from across the water rather than presenting a formal sports view.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a water skier, tow boat, white wake, calm lake surface, wooded shoreline, dark frame edges, and soft 8mm grain.
Film character: The clip has visible film grain, muted color, soft focus, slight exposure variation, and dark frame borders that read as original home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a short insert, nostalgic transition, recreation cutaway, or memory beat within a summer, boating, or Midwestern lake sequence.
Historical context: The scene documents casual outdoor leisure on a wooded lake, with water skiing shown as a social summer activity in archival home-movie form.
Research note: A person is visible at a distance, so likeness review may be needed; no logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance remains separate.
Research search match: Likely matches searches for 1961 Michigan home movie water skiing, 8mm lake recreation, vintage tow boat wake, or 1960s summer boating footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent material from the same reel, then other 1961 Grand Rapids or Michigan lake footage, then broader vintage boating and summer recreation clips.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Grand Rapids-area home-movie frame showing a distant water skier moving across a calm wooded lake. — A water skier moves across the lake with a white wake trailing behind.
License this still · $49

Distant 1961 Michigan lake view with a water skier and tow wake framed by dark 8mm film edges. — The skier continues along the far side of the lake near the treeline.
License this still · $49

Home-movie frame from 1961 showing a small tow boat and distant water skier on a calm Michigan lake. — The tow boat and skier share the frame as the wake cuts across the water.
License this still · $49

1961 Michigan home-movie still of a distant water skier passing a wooded shoreline on a calm lake. — The skier remains small in frame as the wake spreads across the lake surface.
License this still · $49

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