Michigan USA-1961: Woman Learning to Water-Ski on Lake

$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.

Woman Learning to Water-Ski on Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan USA in 1961 captures a person learning to water ski on a sunny day. A woman in a bright orange life vest and white hat is pulled across a calm lake, initially struggling to stay upright in the water before gaining balance on the skis. The grainy, slightly blurry image with natural color tones and film borders evokes authentic mid-century nostalgia. The scene shows the effort and excitement of a classic summer water sport, with a yellow tow rope visible and a wooded shoreline in the background.

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: 121079702

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: Useful for requests needing 1960s Michigan home-movie footage of lake recreation, amateur water skiing, or mid-century summer leisure for documentary, museum, education, or commercial edits.
Period detail: The bright life vests, small water skis, tow rope, wooded shoreline, and 8mm color home-movie texture support an early 1960s recreational lake setting.
Home-movie behavior: The clip preserves an unstaged family viewpoint as a woman practices getting up on water skis while nearby swimmers or helpers watch from the lake.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a calm lake, orange life vests, a white swim cap or hat, black water skis, a yellow tow rope, splashing water, wooded shore, and film-frame borders.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm color, visible grain, slight blur, uneven exposure, and contact-frame borders that give it a physical home-movie archive character.
Edit role: Editors can use it as a short insert, memory beat, or transition for summer recreation, learning a sport, lake vacations, or family leisure sequences.
Historical context: The scene shows recreational water skiing as a casual lake activity in 1961 Michigan, framed from a home-movie perspective rather than a formal sporting event.
Research note: People and faces are visible, so likeness review may be needed; no visible logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate from likeness concerns.
Research search match: Relevant search phrases include 1961 Michigan lake home movie, 8mm water skiing, woman learning to water ski, vintage summer recreation, and family lake vacation footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with other shots from the same reel, then with 1961 Michigan lake footage, then with broader 1960s summer recreation or water-sports home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan home-movie frame showing two people in orange life vests floating on a lake before a water-ski attempt. — Two people wait in the lake with a tow rope visible nearby.

A water-skier in an orange life vest and white hat is pulled across a Michigan lake as a helper or swimmer appears nearby. — The skier begins moving through the water as spray rises around the skis.

The woman in an orange life vest and white hat appears to balance low on water skis while being pulled across the lake. — The skier steadies herself low over the skis while the tow rope pulls ahead.

A soft, blurry 8mm frame shows the skier moving across the Michigan lake with spray and a tow rope visible. — The skier continues across the water in a blurred home-movie frame.

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