California-1938: Open Dam Pouring Water with Mountains in Background

$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.

Year1938
Decade1930s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1938 California

$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.

Open Dam Pouring Water with Mountains in Background — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1938, this vintage California footage captures a large dam releasing water into a river below, with rugged mountains forming a dramatic backdrop. The scene unfolds with a wide view of the concrete structure and cascading water, showcasing mid-20th century infrastructure in a natural landscape. The film exhibits classic Super 8 characteristics—soft focus, subtle color shifts, and visible grain—evoking a nostalgic, archival feel. This authentic home movie clip offers a glimpse into historical engineering and rural California scenery.

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: 127417608

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 1153 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: bucks lake,lake tahoe,emerald bay,martins lodge
Reel-level year note: 1938
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1938 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: California, 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: 1930s California 8mm footage for productions needing archival infrastructure, water-management, river, or mountain landscape material.
Period detail: The concrete dam, spillway gates, open river channel, and muted color 8mm look support the stated 1938 period without showing identifiable signage.
Home-movie behavior: The clip reads as a visitor-shot scenic record of a dam from a distant public vantage, focused on the structure and water release rather than staged action.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include the dam face, spillway openings, rushing white water, river surface, rocky banks, mountain slopes, pale sky, and film frame edges.
Film character: Soft focus, visible grain, gate weave, uneven exposure, and color fading give the short shot a physical 8mm home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief establishing insert, transition, or cutaway for water infrastructure, California travel, or remembered landscape sequences.
Historical context: The view places a large engineered water-control structure within a dry mountain setting, offering visual context for infrastructure in rural California scenery.
Research note: No people, faces, logos, or audible music are visible or noted, but users should still verify copyright status and any location or property permissions needed.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1938 California dam 8mm footage, vintage dam releasing water, home movie spillway, and mountains behind river infrastructure.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with same-reel California travel footage, then with 1938 California landscape material, and then with broader dam, river, or public-works themes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1938 California 8mm frame showing a dam releasing water into a river, with rocky banks and mountains in the background. — Wide view of water pouring from the dam below rugged mountain slopes.

1938 California 8mm frame with the dam extending across the river and white water visible at the spillway. — The dam spans the frame as water releases through several openings.

1938 California 8mm frame showing the dam from farther right, with repeated spillway bays and mountains beyond. — A longer side view shows the dam face stretching across the river.

1938 California 8mm frame with the dam, water below, and a broad mountain slope under a pale sky. — The final view holds on the dam and river with open mountain terrain behind.

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