diff --git a/include/notcurses.h b/include/notcurses.h
index 9f7e05ed1..89a6742fa 100644
--- a/include/notcurses.h
+++ b/include/notcurses.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ API const char* notcurses_version(void);
 
 struct cell;      // a coordinate on an ncplane: an EGC plus styling
 struct ncplane;   // a drawable notcurses surface, composed of cells
+struct ncvisual;  // a visual bit of multimedia opened with LibAV
 struct notcurses; // notcurses state for a given terminal, composed of ncplanes
 
 // A cell corresponds to a single character cell on some plane, which can be
@@ -427,7 +428,9 @@ ncplane_rounded_box_cells(struct ncplane* n, cell* ul, cell* ur, cell* ll,
 }
 
 // multimedia functionality
-API int notcurses_visual_open(struct notcurses* nc, const char* filename);
+API struct ncvisual* notcurses_visual_open(struct notcurses* nc,
+                                           const char* filename);
+API void ncvisual_destroy(struct ncvisual* ncv);
 
 #undef API
 
diff --git a/src/lib/libav.c b/src/lib/libav.c
index ffe08953f..b6021e850 100644
--- a/src/lib/libav.c
+++ b/src/lib/libav.c
@@ -2,86 +2,89 @@
 #include <libavformat/avformat.h>
 #include "notcurses.h"
 
-int notcurses_visual_open(struct notcurses* nc __attribute__ ((unused)),
-                          const char* filename){
-  AVFormatContext* ps = NULL;
-  int ret = avformat_open_input(&ps, filename, NULL, NULL);
+typedef struct ncvisual {
+  AVFormatContext* fmtctx;
+  AVCodecContext* codecctx;
+  AVFrame* frame;
+  AVCodec* codec;
+  AVPacket* packet;
+} ncvisual;
+
+static ncvisual*
+ncvisual_create(void){
+  ncvisual* ret = malloc(sizeof(*ret));
+  if(ret == NULL){
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  memset(ret, 0, sizeof(*ret));
+  return ret;
+}
+
+void ncvisual_destroy(ncvisual* ncv){
+  if(ncv){
+    avcodec_close(ncv->codecctx);
+    avcodec_free_context(&ncv->codecctx);
+    av_frame_free(&ncv->frame);
+    av_packet_free(&ncv->packet);
+    avformat_close_input(&ncv->fmtctx);
+    free(ncv);
+  }
+}
+
+ncvisual* notcurses_visual_open(struct notcurses* nc __attribute__ ((unused)),
+                                const char* filename){
+  ncvisual* ncv = ncvisual_create();
+  if(ncv == NULL){
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  int ret = avformat_open_input(&ncv->fmtctx, filename, NULL, NULL);
   if(ret < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't open %s (%s)\n", filename, av_err2str(ret));
-    return ret;
+    goto err;
   }
-  if((ret = avformat_find_stream_info(ps, NULL)) < 0){
+  if((ret = avformat_find_stream_info(ncv->fmtctx, NULL)) < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Error extracting stream info from %s (%s)\n", filename,
             av_err2str(ret));
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return ret;
+    goto err;
   }
-av_dump_format(ps, 0, filename, false);
-  AVPacket* packet = av_packet_alloc();
-  if((ret = av_read_frame(ps, packet)) < 0){
+av_dump_format(ncv->fmtctx, 0, filename, false);
+  if((ncv->packet = av_packet_alloc()) == NULL){
+    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate packet for %s\n", filename);
+    goto err;
+  }
+  if((ret = av_read_frame(ncv->fmtctx, ncv->packet)) < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Error reading frame info from %s (%s)\n", filename,
             av_err2str(ret));
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+    goto err;
   }
-  AVCodec* codec;
-  if((ret = av_find_best_stream(ps, AVMEDIA_TYPE_VIDEO, -1, -1, &codec, 0)) < 0){
+  if((ret = av_find_best_stream(ncv->fmtctx, AVMEDIA_TYPE_VIDEO, -1, -1, &ncv->codec, 0)) < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't find visuals in %s (%s)\n", filename, av_err2str(ret));
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+    goto err;
   }
-  if(codec == NULL){
+  if(ncv->codec == NULL){
     fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't find decoder for %s\n", filename);
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+    goto err;
   }
-  /*
-  stream = ret;
-  AVStream* avstream = ps->streams[stream];
-  AVCodecContext* codecctx = avstream->codec;
-  AVCodec* codec = avcodec_find_decoder(codecctx->codec_id);
-  if(codec == NULL){
-    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't find decoder for %s (%s)\n", filename);
-    avcodec_close(codecctx);
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+  if((ncv->codecctx = avcodec_alloc_context3(ncv->codec)) == NULL){
+    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate decoder for %s\n", filename);
+    goto err;
   }
-  */
-  AVCodecContext* codecctx = avcodec_alloc_context3(codec);
-  if((ret = avcodec_open2(codecctx, codec, NULL)) < 0){
+  if((ret = avcodec_open2(ncv->codecctx, ncv->codec, NULL)) < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't open codec for %s (%s)\n", filename, av_err2str(ret));
-    avcodec_free_context(&codecctx);
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+    goto err;
   }
-  if((ret = avcodec_send_packet(codecctx, packet)) < 0){
+  if((ret = avcodec_send_packet(ncv->codecctx, ncv->packet)) < 0){
     fprintf(stderr, "Error decoding packet from %s (%s)\n", filename,
             av_err2str(ret));
-    avcodec_close(codecctx);
-    avcodec_free_context(&codecctx);
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+    goto err;
   }
-  AVFrame* frame = av_frame_alloc();
-  if(frame == NULL){
-    avcodec_close(codecctx);
-    avcodec_free_context(&codecctx);
-    av_packet_free(&packet);
-    avformat_close_input(&ps);
-    return -1;
+  if((ncv->frame = av_frame_alloc()) == NULL){
+    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate frame for %s\n", filename);
+    goto err;
   }
+  return ncv;
 
-  // FIXME
-  avcodec_close(codecctx);
-  avcodec_free_context(&codecctx);
-  av_frame_free(&frame);
-  av_packet_free(&packet);
-  avformat_close_input(&ps);
-  return 0;
+err:
+  ncvisual_destroy(ncv);
+  return NULL;
 }