Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Man Water Skiing On Lake With Spray

$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.

Man Water Skiing On Lake With Spray — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, in 1961, showing a man water skiing on a lake. The grainy, color-saturated film captures the skier in a white swimsuit, holding a yellow handle, cutting through the water and creating a large spray. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 film characteristics with visible grain, slight motion blur, and a dark border framing the image. The scene evokes a nostalgic, summertime recreational activity, likely part of a family vacation or local watersport class.

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: 121076679

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: 1960s Michigan home-movie water skiing footage for productions needing brief recreation, summer leisure, or lake-sports inserts.
Period detail: The white swim trunks, tow-handle stance, saturated color, and 8mm framing support an early-1960s recreational home-movie setting.
Home-movie behavior: The clip preserves an informal spectator view of an adult skier being filmed from a distance as spray repeatedly obscures the action.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a male water skier, white swim trunks, yellow tow handle, lake surface, heavy spray, soft focus, and dark film borders.
Film character: Grain, color density, motion blur, exposure shifts, and rounded frame edges give the short scene a physical 8mm home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a quick insert, recreational cutaway, summer transition, or memory beat within a family or leisure sequence.
Historical context: The footage shows mid-century lakeside recreation as a casual home-movie subject, without visible landmarks or identifiable public events.
Research note: An adult face is distant and soft but likeness review may still be needed; no logos, music, private property, or minors are visible in the frames.
Research search match: Useful for searches such as 1961 Grand Rapids water skiing, 1960s Michigan lake recreation, vintage 8mm watersports, and home movie summer sports.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent reel shots, then other 1961 Grand Rapids or Michigan lake footage, then broader 1960s vacation and watersports material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan home-movie frame showing a distant male water skier in white trunks holding a yellow tow handle amid lake spray. — Water skier approaches through spray in a grainy 8mm lake scene.

1961 Michigan frame with the skier partly hidden behind spray while holding the tow handle on open water. — Spray fills much of the frame as the skier continues across the lake.

Soft 8mm frame from 1961 Michigan showing the skier centered behind spray with calm water visible beyond. — The skier remains centered as spray and motion blur soften the home-movie frame.

Final 1961 Michigan frame with the skier barely visible through dense spray and soft 8mm exposure. — Dense spray nearly hides the skier in the closing frame.

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