Developing Freeze Frames

Freeze frames are quick to create and can be used as stepping stones to more sophisticated drama activities and performances. This video shows a group of teachers on a course with David Farmer, developing a movement/dance piece from a sequence of three freeze frames about WW2 evacuees. It also shows how we used dance/movement to explore science themes.

Freeze frames can easily be used across the curriculum:

  • Fairy tale tableaux are a good place to start – ask small groups to choose a fairy tale and create three still images (beginning, middle and end)
  • Improve students’ vocabulary skills by asking them to illustrate a word or phrase in a story using a freeze frame
  • Fun can be had making Ten Second Objects that turn from one thing into something else – for example Cinderella’s pumpkin turns into a coach, mice into horses, a rat into a coachman, and lizards into footmen
  • In Science, groups can develop a series of images showing the process of metamorphosis (e.g. caterpillar to butterfly or frogspawn to frog).
  • Explore a work of art or documentary photograph by bringing it to life as a 3D Living Picture
  • This drama lesson on refugees makes use of freeze frames to explore a real-life story
  • For more advanced use of freeze frames with teen/adult students, take a look at this interesting analysis of a scene from Goodfella’s (R-Rating).

Read next:

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NEW: Guide to Freeze-Frames and Still Images

Practical information and ideas about using freeze-frames and still images in drama and other lessons, including Benefits, When and How to use them, combining with Drama Strategies, 50+ ways to use them across the curriculum and a handy photocopiable evaluation checklist!

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