Michigan USA-1961: A Man Water Skiing and Falling

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only. $149 flat from Stockfilm for documentary, news and educational use, plus internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Year1961
Decade1960s
LocationMichigan, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1961 Michigan

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Before you add to cart: Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement. Checkout will only offer editorial, educational, internal and social/web scopes.

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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.

A Man Water Skiing and Falling — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan USA in 1961 captures a man attempting water skiing on a calm lake. The grainy, color-bleached film shows him gripping a tow rope, struggling to maintain balance on the skis before falling into the water. He resurfaces smiling, wearing swim trunks and a red life vest, embodying classic mid-century Americana leisure. The footage features natural film grain, slight motion blur, and authentic Super 8 color tones, offering nostalgic, archival material for documentaries, retro-themed projects, or historical content.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: editorial use only Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121078879

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Editorial only Direct license: editorial use only. Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Editorial use only; commercial use is not offered for this clip. Review the flags below for your editorial context.

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: 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: Supports requests for 1960s American leisure footage, especially documentary or educational edits about lake recreation, family outings, and amateur water skiing.
Period detail: The swim trunks, red life vest, tow rope, and 8mm color home-movie look may show early-1960s summer recreation on a Michigan lake.
Home-movie behavior: The clip preserves an unstaged attempt at water skiing, with the skier balancing, losing control, and falling as a home-movie camera follows from a distance.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a man on water skis, a tow rope, a red life vest, lake water, shoreline trees, distant hills, spray, and film-frame borders.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm color, visible grain, slight motion blur, uneven exposure, and handheld framing that read as authentic home-movie texture.
Edit role: Editors can use it as a short insert, comic memory beat, recreational cutaway, or transition within sequences about family vacations and mid-century lake culture.
Historical context: The scene reflects casual postwar-era outdoor leisure without showing named landmarks, organized events, brands, or identifiable public venues.
Research note: Visible adult likeness should be reviewed for use context; no logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate from likeness rights.
Research search match: Useful for searches such as 1960s Michigan lake home movie, 8mm water skiing fall, vintage family vacation footage, and mid-century summer recreation.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then with other Michigan 1961 lake scenes, and then with broader vintage water-sport or family-vacation footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame showing an adult man water skiing while holding a tow rope on a calm lake. — A water skier balances behind a tow rope near the start of the clip.

Soft, blurred 8mm frame from the Michigan lake scene as the skier moves out of balance near the camera view. — Motion blur catches the skier during the fall or a fast pass across frame.

8mm frame with lake water and a reddish foreground blur, likely during the skier's fall or camera movement. — The camera catches water and a reddish blur as the action moves out of view.

Wide 1961 Michigan lake view with the water skier distant on the water and a tree-lined shore beyond. — A distant skier or fallen skier appears on the lake near a hazy shoreline.

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