Grand Rapids Michigan USA-1961: Man Water Skiing 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 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 — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1961, showing a man water skiing on a calm lake. The skier, wearing dark swim trunks, glides across the water, creating a dramatic spray behind him as he holds the tow rope. The grainy, slightly faded color and soft focus are characteristic of 1960s amateur film. The shot is framed by dark borders, suggesting it was captured from a projector or film strip. This nostalgic clip captures a moment of classic American summer recreation and leisure.

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: 121076775

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. leisure, lake recreation, or home-movie summer inserts in documentary, museum, education, or commercial edits.
Period detail: The 8mm color, soft focus, dark frame edges, and water-skiing subject support an early-1960s amateur home-movie setting in Michigan.
Home-movie behavior: The footage preserves an unstaged recreational moment as a skier rides behind a boat while the camera watches from a fixed amateur viewpoint.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a water skier, tow rope, lake surface, boat or tow source partly implied off frame, heavy spray, reflections, and dark film-strip borders.
Film character: The clip has grainy 8mm texture, muted color, soft exposure, and contact-sheet-like frame borders that read as physical home-movie material.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a brief recreation insert, summer-memory beat, transition into lake activity, or cutaway for postwar leisure themes.
Historical context: The scene reflects ordinary warm-weather recreation on a lake, with no visible landmarks or signage to independently identify the exact place.
Research note: A person is visible but not clearly identifiable; copyright, likeness, and any location permissions should be reviewed separately before use.
Research search match: Relevant searches include 1961 Michigan home movie water skiing, 8mm lake recreation, vintage summer sports footage, and 1960s amateur water ski clip.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent footage from the same reel, then Grand Rapids or Michigan 1961 material, then broader 1960s lake recreation and summer-sports scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame showing a man water skiing on a lake, seen through dark film-strip borders. — A skier glides forward on the lake as a low spray forms behind him.

A man water skis on a Michigan lake in 1961, with soft 8mm grain and dark frame edges visible. — The skier holds the tow rope while moving across lightly rippled water.

1961 8mm home-movie frame of a water skier cutting through the lake and producing a wide spray. — A broad sheet of spray rises as the skier changes direction or cuts across the tow line.

A 1961 Michigan lake scene shows a man water skiing with a fan of spray in grainy 8mm footage. — The skier stays upright while the wake and spray spread across the frame.

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