Stillsetzung

Stillsetzung is a German term whose exact meaning is not standardized and can vary by field. The word combines still (motionless) and Setzung (setting or establishment), and is sometimes used to denote the act of creating a still image from a sequence of moving images.

In film and photography, Stillsetzung is often applied to the process of producing a still image from moving footage, i.e., a freeze frame. It may appear in production notes, shot lists, or workflow discussions to distinguish capturing a single frame from continuous recording. In practice, the result is a fixed image that can be used for publication, analysis, or archival purposes. In this domain, the more common German terms are Standbild or Standbildaufnahme.

Beyond motion media, Stillsetzung can appear in archival, museum, or editorial contexts where motion is paused for study, documentation, or presentation of a moment in isolation. Because the term is not widely standardized, many writers prefer clearer labels such as Standbild, Einzelbild, or simply freeze frame to avoid ambiguity.

See also: Standbild; Freeze frame; Einzelbild.