A ‘freeze frame’ is one way of acquiring a still image. Strictly speaking, ‘freeze-frame’ refers to freezing movement. The students obey an instruction, to ‘freeze’ simultaneously. They hold a moment still physically and stay ‘in the moment’ cognitively and affectively.
Pictures like Edward Hopper's Ground Swell make for good inspiration
Pictures like Edward Hopper's Ground Swell make for good inspiration - Shutterstock/Everett Art

I ask students to ‘Make (or devise) a still image’ but I don't ask them to, ‘Make a freeze-frame’. ‘Making’ is a process that demands more than just ‘freezing’.

Keeping still is hard. It requires physical and emotional control.

Making still images can employ various types of thinking and result in different levels of challenge, depending partly on whether the students are working individually, in pairs or groups. Recreating a known image is usually easier than creating an original one. Devising a symbolic image is generally more demanding than producing a naturalistic one.

Individually: Ask students to make themselves into a still image that portrays a character's inner feelings. They will draw on their knowledge and understanding of the character and his/her feelings, decide what is significant and portray it statically. They will need to use creative and critical thinking skills.

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