Tampa Florida USA-1960: Drawbridge Opening For Steamer Ship

$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.

Year1960
Decade1960s
LocationTampa, Florida, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1960 Tampa Florida

$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.

Drawbridge Opening For Steamer Ship — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1960, this vintage footage captures a drawbridge in Tampa, Florida, being raised to allow a large steamer to pass beneath. The sequence shows the bridge's massive sections lifting against a partly cloudy sky, with cranes visible on the structure. The final frames shift to a speedboat cutting across the water, with a distant view of the city skyline featuring mid-century buildings. The film exhibits classic Super 8 grain, color fading, and a nostalgic, documentary-style perspective.

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: 123631050

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.

No recognizable people, logos, or music are flagged. Lower-risk for commercial use, subject to your own review.

People 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 1121 · 8mm · 7″ reel
Original reel label: trip to florida,nassau,browns hotel,spring,woodpecker build nest,tree,catfish caught river,flowers,tulip
Reel-level year note: 1960-1961
Reel-level location note: florida,nassau
Date: 1960 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: Tampa, Florida, 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: Serves 1960s Florida transportation documentary needs — mid-century waterway infrastructure, port history, or travel-film segments set in the American South.
Period detail: Twin cranes on the bridge deck and mid-century waterfront buildings visible in the final frame suggest early 1960s Florida; 8mm color cast and grain are consistent with the stated 1960 date.
Home-movie behavior: Filmed from shore or a nearby vessel, the sequence reflects a visitor's impulse to document industrial marine spectacle — a working drawbridge caught mid-operation.
What appears in frame: Bascule bridge leaves rising in stages, twin cranes on bridge structure, bridge control booth, small waterway sign, open harbor water, motorboat with white wake, mid-century waterfront buildings, palm trees on distant shore.
Film character: Cool blue-purple color shift, visible grain, and slight edge vignetting are consistent with consumer-grade 8mm stock from the early 1960s, giving the footage a distinctive period texture.
Edit role: Works as a cutaway for mid-century Florida infrastructure segments or as a transitional shot linking harbor activity to cityscape in documentary timelines.
Historical context: Tampa's waterways handled significant commercial vessel traffic in the 1960s; the shift to a recreational speedboat in the final frames reflects the era's coexistence of industrial and leisure boating.
Research note: No identifiable individuals are visible in the sampled frames; bridge and waterfront are public infrastructure, but independent clearance verification is recommended for broadcast or archival distribution.
Research search match: Researchers seeking 1960s Florida drawbridge, Tampa harbor 8mm, bascule bridge opening, mid-century Gulf Coast waterway, or vintage Florida port footage should find this clip relevant.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with other clips from the same reel or Tampa collection, then Florida 1960s harbor footage broadly, then mid-century US port infrastructure or recreational boating sequences.

Still Frames From This Clip

Early-stage drawbridge opening on a Tampa, Florida waterway circa 1960, with two cranes on the bridge deck and choppy blue harbor water below. — Drawbridge begins to open, Tampa harbor, circa 1960.

Drawbridge continuing to open over Tampa, Florida waterway circa 1960; bascule leaves now raised higher, cranes visible against partly cloudy sky. — Drawbridge leaves rising higher, Tampa harbor, circa 1960.

Drawbridge fully open on Tampa, Florida waterway circa 1960; bascule leaves raised steeply, bridge control booth and a small sign visible at water level. — Drawbridge fully raised for vessel passage, Tampa, circa 1960.

Motorboat crossing Tampa waterfront circa 1960; mid-rise commercial buildings and palm trees along the distant shoreline, choppy water in the foreground. — Speedboat crossing Tampa waterfront with mid-century skyline behind, circa 1960.

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