Michigan USA-1961: Person 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
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.

Person Water Skiing on Lake — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan USA in 1961 captures a person water skiing on a calm lake. The skier, wearing a bright orange life vest and light-colored swimwear, glides across the water, leaving a white wake behind. A motorboat pulls the skier, visible in the distance, creating a classic summer recreational scene. The footage exhibits characteristic 8mm film grain, soft focus, and a slightly faded color palette with muted blues and greens, framed by dark borders suggesting viewing through a projector. The shoreline is lined with dense trees under a clear sky, evoking a nostalgic 1960s Americana atmosphere.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Exterior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121080434

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

water
waves
fun
festive
nature
person
skiing
people
michigan USA
1961
1961 water skiing
vintage 8mm film
1960s home movie
water skiing footage
classic recreation
summer vacation 1961
retro water sports
archival 8mm
old film footage
nostalgic 1960s
lake activity
motorboat pulling skier
vintage Super 8
American summer
outdoor fun
family vacation
1960s lifestyle
old home movie
8mm film grain

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1960s U.S. leisure, summer recreation, Michigan lake life, or home-movie inserts needing water skiing and boating activity.
Period detail: The 8mm color stock, soft focus, orange life vest, small motorboat, and wooded lakeshore support an early-1960s recreational home-movie setting.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has the informal value of a family observer following a skier from shore or another boat as the person crosses the lake.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a water skier, white spray wake, motorboat, calm lake surface, wooded shoreline, blue sky, dark film borders, and soft 8mm texture.
Film character: The footage shows pronounced 8mm grain, mild color fading, soft focus, handheld framing, and dark gate edges that add physical-film archive texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief summer recreation insert, lake-life cutaway, family-memory beat, or transition into boating and vacation material.
Historical context: The scene reflects mid-century recreational lake activity in Michigan, showing personal leisure rather than a staged sporting event.
Research note: A person is visible at distance, so likeness review may still be needed; no visible logos or private property are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate.
Research search match: Search matches include 1961 Michigan water skiing home movie, 8mm lake recreation, vintage motorboat pulling skier, and 1960s summer vacation footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with same-reel lake or family footage, then other Michigan 1961 outdoor scenes, then broader 1960s boating and water-sport home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame showing a distant water skier in an orange life vest moving across a calm lake near trees. — A distant water skier glides across the lake, leaving a narrow wake behind.

A distant skier in bright safety gear moves across the Michigan lake, framed by soft 8mm borders and shoreline trees. — The skier continues across open water with a bright wake trailing behind.

1961 home-movie frame of a water skier on a Michigan lake, with dense shoreline trees and soft color 8mm grain. — A skier is seen farther across the water against a wooded shoreline.

A small motorboat pulls a distant water skier across a Michigan lake in 1961, with shoreline trees and visible 8mm film borders. — The towing motorboat and skier appear together on the open lake.

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