I don't remember stopping time in Big Fish but I can think of three ways. Way two is probably the easiest even though it sounds complicated.
(1) THe Matrix effect. You set up a dozen or hundres of still cameras and connect them to a computer so you can time how they go off. If they all go off at once you can have someone stop in midair and you assemble the pictures frame-by-frame. If the go off with a slight variation you can have the actor slowly moving while you pan around and create other amazing looks. This is a bit overdone after the Matrix though.
(2) Get actors to stand still while another actor walks amung them. If you layer a still shot of the same shot beneath the moving actor you can mask the moving actor so that the "actors pretending to be still" are only seen (as oppossed to their still shot duplicates that really won't move) when the moving actor gets very close to them.
(3) Use greenscreen to plop your moving actor into an otherwise frozen background.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Any ideas on how to do the second one on Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition??

Nope, but most editing programs probably have a way.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

http://www.videocopilot.net/videotutorials/timefreeze/index.htm

Another question. Can you do green screen stuff with the same software?

Almost definitely yes. Every movie editing software I have ever seen has the ability to greenscreen, including window's movie maker.

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