Michigan USA-1961: Man Water-Skiing Wipes Out on Michigan 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
LocationMichigan, 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 Wipes Out on Michigan Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan, USA, in 1961 captures a man water-skiing on a calm lake. The skier, wearing a red shirt and light-colored trunks, glides across the water, leaving a white wake behind. As he moves, a large bridge spans the distant horizon. The footage, shot through a window frame, shows the skier losing balance and wiping out in a splash. The grainy, color-bleached quality of the film evokes a nostalgic, mid-century Americana feel, with natural lighting and a sense of casual summer recreation.

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: 121079517

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: 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 8mm lake recreation footage for productions needing a brief home-movie water-skiing wipeout, summer leisure insert, or mid-century Americana memory beat.
Period detail: The clip may show early-1960s leisure culture through small motorboat water-skiing, color 8mm texture, swimwear, and a distant bridge across a broad lake.
Home-movie behavior: The value is in the unstaged vacation perspective, with the camera watching from behind a dark window or frame as the skier loses balance on open water.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a male water-skier, tow rope implied by the boat path, a small motorboat, white spray, calm lake water, dark window framing, shoreline, and a distant bridge.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm color, visible grain, mild fading, handheld framing, and gate or window edges that reinforce its physical home-movie origin.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a quick comic insert, recreation cutaway, transition into summer lake activity, or personal-memory beat around water sports.
Historical context: The scene reflects casual lakeside recreation in Michigan in 1961, with motorized leisure and water-skiing presented from a private home-movie viewpoint.
Research note: People are visible but not identifiable in close detail, so likeness review may still be needed; no logos or obvious private property are visible, and copyright clearance is separate.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1961 Michigan 8mm water skiing, vintage home movie lake wipeout, Super 8 summer recreation, motorboat tow skier, and mid-century lake bridge footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with nearby shots from the same reel, then other 1961 Michigan lake or bridge footage, then broader vintage water-skiing and summer recreation material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame of a man water-skiing across a lake, seen through dark window framing with a distant shoreline and bridge. — A water-skier crosses the lake while the bridge and shoreline sit far behind him.

The skier continues across the Michigan lake as spray rises and a small motorboat appears ahead near the distant bridge. — The skier approaches the tow boat as a burst of spray trails behind him.

A man water-skiing in 1961 Michigan splashes low on the lake near the tow boat, with bridge spans across the background. — The skier begins to lose control beside the tow boat, sending up spray.

The water-skier falls into the Michigan lake in a white splash while the small tow boat continues nearby against the bridge backdrop. — The skier wipes out as the boat keeps moving across the lake.

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