diff --git a/src/core.py b/src/core.py
index 4023542..2b85f7e 100644
--- a/src/core.py
+++ b/src/core.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from importlib import import_module
 import logging
 
 import toolkit
-import video_thread
 
 
 log = logging.getLogger('AVP.Core')
@@ -418,6 +417,7 @@ class Core:
 
     def newVideoWorker(self, loader, audioFile, outputPath):
         '''loader is MainWindow or Command object which must own the thread'''
+        import video_thread
         self.videoThread = QtCore.QThread(loader)
         videoWorker = video_thread.Worker(
             loader, audioFile, outputPath, self.selectedComponents
diff --git a/src/toolkit/ffmpeg.py b/src/toolkit/ffmpeg.py
index 6ab445c..afcb37c 100644
--- a/src/toolkit/ffmpeg.py
+++ b/src/toolkit/ffmpeg.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import logging
 
 import core
 from toolkit.common import checkOutput, pipeWrapper
-from component import ComponentError
 
 
 log = logging.getLogger('AVP.Toolkit.Ffmpeg')
@@ -91,6 +90,7 @@ class FfmpegVideo:
             self.frameBuffer.task_done()
 
     def fillBuffer(self):
+        from component import ComponentError
         logFilename = os.path.join(
             core.Core.logDir, 'render_%s.log' % str(self.component.compPos))
         log.debug('Creating ffmpeg process (log at %s)' % logFilename)
diff --git a/src/toolkit/frame.py b/src/toolkit/frame.py
index e4332eb..6174072 100644
--- a/src/toolkit/frame.py
+++ b/src/toolkit/frame.py
@@ -86,31 +86,25 @@ def FloodFrame(width, height, RgbaTuple):
 
 
 @defaultSize
-def BlankFrame(width, height, blankFrames={}):
+def BlankFrame(width, height):
     '''The base frame used by each component to start drawing.'''
-    try:
-        return blankFrames[(width, height)]
-    except KeyError:
-        newFrame = FloodFrame(width, height, (0, 0, 0, 0))
-        blankFrames[(width, height)] = newFrame
-        return newFrame
+    newFrame = FloodFrame(width, height, (0, 0, 0, 0))
+    blankFrames[(width, height)] = newFrame
+    return newFrame
 
 
 @defaultSize
-def Checkerboard(width, height, checkerboards={}):
+def Checkerboard(width, height):
     '''
         A checkerboard to represent transparency to the user.
         TODO: Would be cool to generate this image with numpy instead.
     '''
-    try:
-        return checkerboards[(width, height)]
-    except KeyError:
-        log.debug('Creating new %s*%s checkerboard' % (width, height))
-        image = FloodFrame(1920, 1080, (0, 0, 0, 0))
-        image.paste(Image.open(
-            os.path.join(core.Core.wd, "background.png")),
-            (0, 0)
-        )
-        image = image.resize((width, height))
-        checkerboards[(width, height)] = image
-        return image
+    log.debug('Creating new %s*%s checkerboard' % (width, height))
+    image = FloodFrame(1920, 1080, (0, 0, 0, 0))
+    image.paste(Image.open(
+        os.path.join(core.Core.wd, "background.png")),
+        (0, 0)
+    )
+    image = image.resize((width, height))
+    checkerboards[(width, height)] = image
+    return image