Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Man On Water Skis Ski Alongside Boat On Smooth

$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 On Water Skis Ski Alongside Boat On Smooth — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from 1961 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showing a man water skiing on a calm lake. The skier, shirtless and wearing dark swim trunks, glides across the water while being pulled by a boat, creating a dynamic spray. The shot is framed from the boat's perspective, with the vehicle's edge visible in the foreground. The film exhibits classic Super 8 grain, slight color fading, and natural motion blur, capturing a nostalgic moment of summer recreation. The scene conveys a sense of speed and leisure, with the skier maintaining balance as he cuts through the smooth water.

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: 121076753

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 U.S. home-movie footage suited to documentary or educational edits needing lakeside water-ski recreation from a boat-level viewpoint.
Period detail: The 8mm look, swimwear, tow-boat framing, and metadata-supported 1961 Grand Rapids setting place the scene within early-1960s summer leisure footage.
Home-movie behavior: The camera watches from the moving boat as a shirtless man water-skis nearby, preserving an informal recreational moment rather than a staged sports setup.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include the water-skier, tow rope area, boat edge, dark vertical window or frame bars, lake surface, spray, wake, and soft horizon water tones.
Film character: The clip carries physical 8mm texture with visible grain, muted color, slight blur from motion, soft exposure, and gate or scan marks around the frame.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short insert, recreation cutaway, summer-memory beat, or motion transition within a sequence about boating or midcentury leisure.
Historical context: The scene reflects private lake recreation and amateur filming practices, with the boat viewpoint emphasizing participation in the outing as much as the skier.
Research note: A person is visible and likeness review may be needed; no logos or private property are apparent, and copyright status is separate from depicted-person clearance.
Research search match: Useful search matches include 1961 Michigan water skiing, 8mm boat POV lake recreation, 1960s home movie water sports, and vintage summer boating footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other Grand Rapids or 1961 lake scenes, then broader 1960s boating and water-sports home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Grand Rapids home-movie frame showing a shirtless man water-skiing behind a boat on a smooth lake, with spray and boat framing visible. — A water-skier rides behind the boat as spray rises across the calm lake surface.

1961 Grand Rapids 8mm frame with a man on water skis moving through spray beside the boat wake on smooth water. — The skier cuts through the wake while the camera looks back from the moving boat.

Home-movie frame from the 1961 Grand Rapids clip showing the skier centered behind the boat as water spray spreads across the lake. — The skier stays upright behind the tow boat as spray fans outward.

1961 Grand Rapids lake recreation frame with a shirtless water-skier crossing the wake, seen through soft 8mm grain and boat framing. — A low boat-level view shows the skier crossing the wake through heavy spray.

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