diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.buffering.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.buffering.test.ts
index 306d1d6899a..e7693a7c496 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.buffering.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.buffering.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { afterEach, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { initSandboxRuntimeModular } from "./init";
+import { heldPosters } from "./proxySrc";
 import { createMockTimeline, resetRuntimeFixtureDom } from "./runtimeSeekFixture.test-helpers";
 
 function audio(id: string, duration: number, readyState: { value: number; bufferedTo?: number }) {
@@ -26,12 +27,12 @@ function audio(id: string, duration: number, readyState: { value: number; buffer
   return el;
 }
 
-function playPodcast(voiceStart = 0) {
+function playPodcast(voiceStart = 0, voiceTag = "audio") {
   resetRuntimeFixtureDom();
   document.body.innerHTML =
     '<div data-composition-id="main" data-root="true" data-duration="10">' +
     '<audio id="music" data-start="0" data-duration="10" src="/music.m4a"></audio>' +
-    `<audio id="voice" data-start="${voiceStart}" data-duration="4" src="/voice.m4a"></audio>` +
+    `<${voiceTag} id="voice" data-start="${voiceStart}" data-duration="4" src="/voice.m4a"></${voiceTag}>` +
     "</div>";
   const voiceReady: { value: number; bufferedTo?: number } = { value: 1 };
   const music = audio("music", 10, { value: 4 });
@@ -80,6 +81,26 @@ it("a track not ready pauses everything with Buffering, and resumes when it can
   expect(states.at(-1)).toEqual({ isPlaying: true, buffering: false });
 });
 
+it("the music plays on while a video shows a still across a copy swap", () => {
+  const { music, voice, states, playFor } = playPodcast(0, "video");
+  heldPosters.set(voice, { poster: null, since: performance.now() });
+
+  playFor(1);
+  expect(window.__player!.getTime()).toBeGreaterThan(0.9);
+  expect(music.paused).toBe(false);
+  expect(states.at(-1)).toEqual({ isPlaying: true, buffering: false });
+});
+
+it("a copy that never lands stops standing in, and the film waits for it", () => {
+  const { music, voice, states, playFor } = playPodcast(0, "video");
+  heldPosters.set(voice, { poster: null, since: performance.now() - 60_000 });
+
+  playFor(1);
+  expect(window.__player!.getTime()).toBeLessThan(0.1);
+  expect(music.paused).toBe(true);
+  expect(states.at(-1)).toEqual({ isPlaying: true, buffering: true });
+});
+
 it("holds on the frame a slow tick skips into a clip with no data, after asking it to play", () => {
   const { voice, states, playFor, step } = playPodcast(0.5);
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
index c2c9ceaa0e5..ce8bcd832f4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ import {
   forgetPositionEdit,
   installPositionEditsSeekReapply,
 } from "./positionEdits";
-import { unheldPoster, unproxiedSrc } from "./proxySrc";
+import { stillStandsIn, unheldPoster, unproxiedSrc } from "./proxySrc";
 import { applyVariableBindings, unproxiedMediaSrc } from "./applyVariableBindings";
 import { createColorGradingRuntime, type RuntimeColorGradingApi } from "./colorGrading";
 import { COLOR_GRADING_AUTHORED_OPACITY_ATTR } from "../colorGrading";
@@ -5694,6 +5694,7 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
               isInClipWindow(t, start, end) &&
               !hasDataAhead(el) &&
               isPlayableTrack(el) &&
+              !stillStandsIn(el) &&
               !webAudio.ownsElement(el),
           )
           .map(({ el }) => el);
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaProxy.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaProxy.ts
index a1418d8ed1a..4c0bbda2c7b 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaProxy.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaProxy.ts
@@ -235,12 +235,12 @@ function holdShownFrame(el: HTMLMediaElement): void {
   if (!isVideoElement(el) || heldPosters.has(el)) return;
   const still = stillOf(el);
   if (!still) return;
-  heldPosters.set(el, el.getAttribute("poster"));
+  heldPosters.set(el, { poster: el.getAttribute("poster"), since: performance.now() });
   el.setAttribute("poster", still);
   const letGo = () => {
     for (const type of RELEASE_EVENTS) el.removeEventListener(type, release);
     letGoOfStill.delete(el);
-    const authored = heldPosters.get(el) ?? null;
+    const authored = heldPosters.get(el)?.poster ?? null;
     heldPosters.delete(el);
     if (authored === null) el.removeAttribute("poster");
     else el.setAttribute("poster", authored);
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/proxySrc.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/proxySrc.ts
index c0b3060fc08..82f62315c90 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/proxySrc.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/proxySrc.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,17 @@ export function unproxiedSrc(el: Element): string | null {
   return swappedElements.has(el) ? (swappedElements.get(el) ?? null) : el.getAttribute("src");
 }
 
-/** Videos showing a still of their last frame as poster across a copy swap, each with the poster it had before. */
-export const heldPosters = new WeakMap<Element, string | null>();
+/** Videos showing a still of their last frame as poster across a copy swap: the poster they had before, and when. */
+export const heldPosters = new WeakMap<Element, { poster: string | null; since: number }>();
 
 export function unheldPoster(el: Element): string | null {
-  return heldPosters.has(el) ? (heldPosters.get(el) ?? null) : el.getAttribute("poster");
+  return heldPosters.has(el) ? (heldPosters.get(el)?.poster ?? null) : el.getAttribute("poster");
+}
+
+const STILL_STANDS_IN_MS = 2000;
+
+/** The video shows a still while its new copy loads, so the film need not wait for it. */
+export function stillStandsIn(el: Element): boolean {
+  const held = heldPosters.get(el);
+  return held !== undefined && performance.now() - held.since < STILL_STANDS_IN_MS;
 }