Michigan USA-1961: Man Attempting to Water Ski

$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 Attempting to Water Ski — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan, USA, in 1961 captures a man attempting to water ski on a lake. The grainy, color-saturated film shows a shirtless man in swim trunks being pulled by a boat, struggling to rise from the water on his skis. He falls and is seen floating, then regains his stance, gripping the tow rope as he skis across the choppy water. The footage, framed by dark borders, exhibits classic Super 8 film characteristics with natural lighting and authentic 1960s 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: 121081117

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: Useful for 1960s recreational home-movie requests needing lake vacation footage, amateur water skiing, or a brief leisure insert from Michigan.
Period detail: The clip may show early 1960s lake recreation through swim trunks, tow rope skiing, small-boat activity, and saturated 8mm color texture.
Home-movie behavior: The value is in the unstaged attempt, with the skier falling, floating, then trying to regain balance while someone films from a distant shoreline or boat position.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a shirtless adult skier, water skis, tow rope, lake surface, splashing wake, dark film borders, and a grassy shoreline edge.
Film character: The footage has grainy 8mm color, soft focus, handheld framing, dark gate edges, and uneven exposure that place the recreation scene within a home-movie record.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a short cutaway, memory beat, or transitional insert for summer vacation, amateur sports, lake leisure, or family travel sequences.
Historical context: The scene reflects casual mid-century outdoor leisure in a Michigan lake setting without identifying a specific lake, family, boat, or organized event.
Research note: People are visible, so likeness review may be needed; no logos, private property, or music are evident, and copyright clearance is separate from privacy or publicity rights.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1961 Michigan 8mm home movie water skiing, man falling on skis, lake vacation recreation, amateur boating, and vintage summer sports footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the same reel, then other Michigan 1961 lake or vacation clips, then broader 1960s boating, swimming, and water-sport home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

Soft, grainy 1961 Michigan 8mm frame showing lake water, dark gate borders, and a partially visible subject near the top edge. — A soft opening frame shows water and dark film borders before the skier becomes clear.

In this Michigan home-movie frame, a shirtless adult man floats in lake water with water skis trailing as he prepares to continue. — The skier floats in the lake after or before an attempt to rise on the skis.

A shirtless adult man in swim trunks grips a tow rope as he starts across choppy Michigan lake water on skis. — The skier begins to rise while holding the tow rope amid a burst of spray.

The adult skier stands more upright on the lake, holding the tow rope as a small wake and shoreline appear in the 8mm frame. — The skier gains his stance and moves across the lake with spray behind him.

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