FREEEEEEZE FRAME

Freeze Frames!
Is when a single frame is replicated many times to give the illusion of a still photo. The first time it was notably recognized is its use as the final scene in French New Wave auteur Francois Truffaut's "400 Blows".

ONE way that it is effective is to give the feeling of something being open ended or "to be continued..."
400 Blows- Francois Truffaut- 1959
(:30 Antoine runs away from work camp towards the sea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9I-gsap0po
Can you imagine seeing an ending like this for the first time ever?!
George Roy Hill played off of this with his ending in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- 1969 (1:30)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UzG-Gc7II

A SECOND way it is used is as a chance for the narrator to do some explaining. It gives you the feeling of a story being told to you rather than watching, which gives the narrator ultimate control- not the characters.
Snatch- Guy Ritchie- 2000 (also totally up there with Raging Bull as most incredible fight scenes. Guy Ritchie uses all the cool tricks besides freeze frames like slow motion, and fast speed for editing psychology!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M28xmFhPt-A&feature=related

A THIRD way it is used is to give emphasis on a moment or a feeling.
Out of Sight- Steven Soderberg- 1998
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLbmnE5FIOM&feature=related
(Also in this scene take note of all of the quick and plentiful match cuts! The editor Ann V. Coates, also starts the scene off with 2 person medium shots to establish the place and then moves to individual CU and to XCU to hands and face... notice how this increases the intensity of the scene!)