Detroit Michigan-1978: Tower Complex Rising Above Streetlights and Bare Trees

Catalog date: estimated · Catalog location: estimated. Review source evidence · Request a source quality check

$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.

Year1978
Decade1970s
LocationDetroit, Michigan, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1978 · Detroit, Michigan, United States
StatusStockfilm Exclusive

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

From the same film reel

1978 · Toronto & Detroit · Reel f4619162 contains 7 published Stockfilm-exclusive clips. Watch them in reel order and review the available reel documentation.

Explore this year and place

Compare featured footage, popular clips and the full collection.

Same year and place1978 · Detroit, Michigan, United StatesExplore footage →Across the archiveFilmed in 1978Explore the year →Across the yearsDetroit, Michigan, United StatesExplore the place →

What is in this clip

urban architecture
city skyline
modern development
visitor observation
street infrastructure
regional identity

Shot type: wide
Camera: handheld · tilt · Low angle looking upward from street level
Setting: outdoor · Urban street foreground beneath a modern high-rise complex
Time and weather: Daytime · Dormant season; bare deciduous trees · Pale, apparently overcast sky
Lighting: Diffuse daylight with deeply shadowed buildings
People: 6 · Approximately six small, distant pedestrian figures appear near the lower edge in the opening views; faces, ages and clothing details are indistinct.
Landmarks: Renaissance Center
Objects: cylindrical central tower · dark office towers · streetlight poles · long lamp arms · bare deciduous trees · small roofed shelter · road signs · overhead wires
Readable signs: 10
Colors: dark blue · blue-green · gray · pale green
Master dimensions: 3840 × 2160
Audio: Silent
Date confidence: Low
Location confidence: High

Moments in the footage

Select a time to watch that moment in the preview.

The tower complex rises behind streetlights, bare trees and a small shelter.
Handheld framing holds the dark towers above distant pedestrians.
The camera tilts upward, revealing more of the cylindrical central tower.
The higher framing emphasizes the tower tops and pale sky.

Tower Complex Rising Above Streetlights and Bare Trees — Clip Details

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1978 home movie footage shows the Renaissance Center above a street lined with lamps and bare trees. Dark office towers flank the taller cylindrical central tower, while a small roofed shelter and distant pedestrians occupy the lower edge. The handheld camera tilts upward, reducing the street foreground and revealing more of the skyline. Muted blue-green color, deep shadows and visible film marks characterize the view.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Wide shotExterior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 800004906

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 record not linked for this clip
Date: 1978 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
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.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Supports documentary and museum requests for Detroit landmark exteriors and modern urban architecture circa 1978.
Period detail: The original tower grouping, long streetlight arms, route marker and small street shelter provide visible period context.
Home-movie behavior: The handheld upward tilt conveys a visitor looking up at a large landmark from the street.
What appears in frame: The view includes dark office towers, a cylindrical central tower, streetlights, bare trees, a roofed shelter, road signs and distant pedestrians.
Film character: Soft grain, blue-green color, deep shadows, specks and vertical marks retain the texture of the projected small-gauge film transfer.
Edit role: Use as a short Detroit establishing shot or an architectural cutaway between street activity and regional travel scenes.
Historical context: The recognizable central cylinder and surrounding office towers show the Renaissance Center's original architectural configuration.
Research note: Footage copyright is separate from likeness and property permissions; distant pedestrians and privately owned architecture are visible, with no discernible faces.
Research search match: Matches searches for Detroit Renaissance Center home movies, circa 1978 Michigan architecture and small-gauge urban travel footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the reel's Greenfield Village clock tower or heritage steam train, then Detroit views circa 1978, followed by comparable modern skyline footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

Detroit's Renaissance Center circa 1978, seen above streetlights, bare trees, a roofed shelter and distant pedestrians. — Street-level foreground beneath the Renaissance Center towers.
License this still · $49

Renaissance Center in Detroit circa 1978, with shadowed towers above a pale-roofed shelter and tiny street-level figures. — Shadowed towers rise above a small shelter and bare branches.
License this still · $49

An upward view of Detroit's Renaissance Center circa 1978 reveals the cylindrical central tower above the surrounding office blocks. — The upward tilt reveals the central tower's rounded top.
License this still · $49

Detroit Renaissance Center tower tops circa 1978, framed against a pale sky with a long streetlight arm crossing the foreground. — Higher framing emphasizes the tower grouping against the sky.
License this still · $49

Visually Similar Clips