Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Water Skier on Lake in Orange Life Vest

$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

$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.

Explore this year and place

Compare featured footage, popular clips and the full collection.

Same year and place1961 · Grand Rapids, Michigan, United StatesExplore footage →Across the archiveFilmed in 1961Explore the year →Across the yearsGrand Rapids, Michigan, United StatesExplore the place →

Water Skier on Lake in Orange Life Vest — Clip Details

A vintage 8mm home movie clip from 1961 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showing a person water skiing on a calm lake. The skier, wearing a bright orange life vest and dark swim trunks, glides across the water while being pulled by a motorboat. The footage captures the motion and excitement of the sport, with the boat creating a wake and the skier maintaining balance. The scene is framed by dark borders typical of old film, with visible grain and slight blurriness, evoking a nostalgic, retro feel. The background features a tree-lined shore under a clear sky, emphasizing the summer recreation atmosphere.

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: 121076451

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 U.S. recreation requests needing home-movie footage of water skiing, boating, summer lake activity, or leisure sports.
Period detail: The clip may show early-1960s leisure boating, with 8mm framing, a small motorboat, simple swimwear, and a bright life vest as visible era cues.
Home-movie behavior: The scene preserves an unstaged lakeside viewpoint as a skier is pulled across calm water while the camera follows from shore or another boat.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a water skier, tow rope, small motorboat, wake trails, calm lake surface, wooded shoreline, and dark film gate borders.
Film character: Soft focus, visible grain, muted color, and slight handheld framing give the 8mm scan a physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short cutaway, summer memory beat, recreation insert, or transition into a boating or vacation sequence.
Historical context: The footage reflects midcentury lake recreation near Grand Rapids, showing casual water-ski activity without identifiable public landmarks.
Research note: People are visible at a distance, so likeness review may be needed; no logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate.
Research search match: Likely matches searches for 1961 Michigan 8mm water skiing, Grand Rapids lake recreation, vintage boating footage, and 1960s home movies.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the same reel, then other 1961 Grand Rapids or Michigan lake footage, then broader 1960s boating and water-sport scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Grand Rapids-area home-movie frame showing a distant water skier, tow boat, wake, and wooded lake shore. — A skier trails behind a small motorboat on a quiet lake.
License this still · $49

Home-movie view of a skier in an orange life vest crossing open lake water near a partially visible tow boat. — The skier moves across the lake while the tow boat exits the frame edge.
License this still · $49

Distant 8mm frame of a water skier wearing an orange vest, balanced on skis over calm water in Michigan footage. — A lone skier continues across the water with a low wake behind them.
License this still · $49

1961 home-movie still of a distant water skier on a tree-lined lake, framed by dark 8mm film edges. — The skier leans forward as the tow line carries them across the lake.
License this still · $49

Visually Similar Clips