← Animation Glossary

Freeze Frame

A freeze frame is when an animated character or scene stops moving for a brief moment. It's often used to emphasize an important moment or to give the viewer time to take in what's happening on screen.

Freeze frame (or Frame Hold) is an animation technique that can be used to add extra meaning, or emphasis, to a particular moment. It allows animators to control the pace of the story, create emphasis on certain aspects of the scene, and give viewers time to digest what they have just seen.

In Brush Ninja freeze frames can be added by adjusting the duration of individual frames. This is done by clicking the multiplier button above the frame image in the timeline. The higher the multiplier the longer the animation will freeze on this frame.

One way freeze frames are used in animation is to create tension or suspense. For example, in a horror film, when a character is about to be attacked by a monster, the animator may use this technique to pause the scene at the critical moment before the attack. This not only builds suspense but also gives viewers time to absorb the tension and fear of what is about to happen.

Freeze frames can also be used to create humor or comedic effect. In a cartoon scene where a character slips on a banana peel, the animator may use freeze frame to capture the character’s expression at the exact moment they realize they are falling. This freezes the moment for comedic effect and allows viewers time to appreciate the slapstick humor of the situation.

Another way freeze frame is used in animation is to emphasize an emotional moment. For instance, in a heartfelt scene where two characters express their love for each other, the animator may use this technique to capture their expressions and hold them for an extended period. This not only creates emphasis on that particular moment but also gives viewers time to connect with the characters’ emotions.

Lastly, freeze frame can be used as an ending technique. As mentioned earlier, it allows viewers time to reflect on what they just saw before moving on to the next scene. This is especially useful in animations where there are complex themes or messages that need processing.

Freeze frame is a powerful tool in animation that can be used in various ways. It allows animators to control pacing, create emphasis, build tension or suspense, add humor or comedic effect, and provide viewers with time for reflection. When done effectively, the technique can be used to enhance the overall storytelling experience.

Animation Terms

2

2D Animation

3

3D Animation

A

Alpha Channel

Ambient sound

Animation

Anti-Aliasing

Anticipation

Aspect Ratio

B

Bezier Curve

Bitmap

Blue Screen

Bone Animation

Bounce

Broadcast Standards

C

Camera Angle

Camera Shake

Casting

Cel Animation

Character Animation

Character Design Sheets

Cinematic lighting

Claymation

Clean-up

Close-up

Color Correction

Color Grading

Compositing

Composition

Concept Art

Continuity editing

Cross-cutting

Cut

Cutout nimation

D

Depth of Field

Dialogue

Dissolve

Distributed Rendering

Dolby Atmos

Dope Sheet

Dutch Angle

E

Easing

Emitter

Exaggeration

Eyedropper

F

Foley

Follow through

Forward Kinematics

Frame Rate

Frame

Framing

Freeze Frame

G

Ghosting

GIF File Format

Golden Ratio

Graph Editor

H

High key lighting

Hue and Saturation

I

Inertia

Infographic Animation

Inverse Kinematics

J

Joint

JPEG File Format

Jump cut

K

Keyframe Interpolation

Keyframe

Kinetic typography

L

Layers

Lens distortion

Level of Detail

Lighting

Line of action

Lip syncing

Low key lighting

M

Match cut

Matte painting

Montage

Morphing

Motion blur

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Motion path

Motion trail

Mouth shapes

MP3 File Format

MP4 File Format

N

Network rendering

Non-linear editing

O

Occlusion culling

Onion skinning

Overlapping action

P

Pan

Parallel rendering

Particle system

Persistance of Vision

Phonemes

Playback speed

Plot

PNG File Format

Pose-to-pose animation

Props

Puppet animation

R

Render farm

Rendering

Resolution

Rigging

Rotoscoping

Rule of thirds

Run cycle

S

Safe zone

Scene

Score

Screenplay

Script

Shot

Silhouette

Skeletal animation

Slow Motion

Smears

Sound Design

Sound effects

Soundtrack

Special Effects

Split screen

Squash and Stretch

Staging

Stop Motion Animation

Storyboard

Straight-ahead Animation

T

Time Remapping

Timeline

Timing

Title Card

Title Sequence

Tracking shot

Tweening

V

Vector graphics

Visemes

Voice acting

Voice-over Narration

W

Walk cycle

WebM File Format

Weighting

Wide shot

Z

Z-depth

Zoom

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