The Ken Burns technique is a popular name for a type of effect used in video production from still imagery.

We recently used this in a new site http://www.coffrage-isolant-france.com/coffrage_isolant_beton_proprietaires.aspx

We used this with little regard of the history or orgin of the name. Our decison was based purely on the visual effect.

The Ken Burns Effect, named after the American documentary maker Ken Burns, is the technique of embedding still photographs in movies, displayed with slow zooming and panning effects, and fading transitions between them. The zooming and panning across photographs gives the feeling of motion, and keeps the viewer visually entertained.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZo7kqpd14