diff --git a/frontend/src/VideoPreview.tsx b/frontend/src/VideoPreview.tsx
index cb96b20..8abd30f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/VideoPreview.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/VideoPreview.tsx
@@ -21,82 +21,58 @@ export const VideoPreview: React.FC<Props> = ({
 
   // effects
 
-  // load thumbnail, to display when the component is loaded for the first
-  // time. This is needed because of browser autoplay limitations.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    (async function () {
-      if (mediaSet == null) {
-        return;
-      }
-
-      const canvas = videoCanvasRef.current;
-      if (canvas == null) {
-        console.error('no canvas ref available');
-        return;
-      }
-
-      const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
-      if (ctx == null) {
-        console.error('no 2d context available');
-        return;
-      }
-
-      // Set aspect ratio.
-      canvas.width = canvas.height * (canvas.clientWidth / canvas.clientHeight);
-
-      console.log('getting video thumbnail...');
-      const rpc = newRPC();
-      const service = new MediaSetServiceClientImpl(rpc);
-
-      const thumbnail = await service.GetVideoThumbnail({ id: mediaSet.id });
-
-      console.log('got thumbnail', thumbnail);
-
-      const url = URL.createObjectURL(
-        new Blob([thumbnail.image], { type: 'image/jpeg' })
-      );
-      const img = new Image(thumbnail.width, thumbnail.height);
-
-      img.src = url;
-      console.log('img', img);
-      img.onerror = console.error;
-      img.onload = () => {
-        ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0, 177, 100);
-      };
-
-      console.log('set src to', url);
-    })();
-  }, [mediaSet]);
-
   // render canvas
   useEffect(() => {
     // TODO: not sure if requestAnimationFrame is recommended here.
     requestAnimationFrame(() => {
-      const canvas = videoCanvasRef.current;
-      if (canvas == null) {
-        console.error('no canvas ref available');
-        return;
-      }
+      (async function () {
+        const canvas = videoCanvasRef.current;
+        if (canvas == null) {
+          console.error('no canvas ref available');
+          return;
+        }
 
-      const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
-      if (ctx == null) {
-        console.error('no 2d context available');
-        return;
-      }
+        const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
+        if (ctx == null) {
+          console.error('no 2d context available');
+          return;
+        }
 
-      // Set aspect ratio.
-      canvas.width = canvas.height * (canvas.clientWidth / canvas.clientHeight);
+        // Set aspect ratio.
+        canvas.width =
+          canvas.height * (canvas.clientWidth / canvas.clientHeight);
 
-      const durSecs = duration / 1000;
-      const ratio = position / durSecs;
-      const x = (canvas.width - 177) * ratio;
+        // If the required position is 0, display the thumbnail instead of
+        // trying to render the video. The most important use case is before a
+        // click event has happened, when autoplay restrictions will prevent
+        // the video being rendered to canvas.
+        if (position == 0) {
+          const service = new MediaSetServiceClientImpl(newRPC());
+          const thumbnail = await service.GetVideoThumbnail({
+            id: mediaSet.id,
+          });
 
-      ctx.clearRect(0, 0, x, canvas.height);
-      ctx.clearRect(x + 177, 0, canvas.width - 177 - x, canvas.height);
+          // TODO: avoid fetching the image every re-render:
+          const url = URL.createObjectURL(
+            new Blob([thumbnail.image], { type: 'image/jpeg' })
+          );
+          const img = new Image(thumbnail.width, thumbnail.height);
 
-      ctx.drawImage(video, x, 0, 177, 100);
+          img.src = url;
+          img.onload = () => ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0, 177, 100);
+          return;
+        }
+
+        // otherwise, render the video, which (should) work now.
+        const durSecs = duration / 1000;
+        const ratio = position / durSecs;
+        const x = (canvas.width - 177) * ratio;
+        ctx.clearRect(0, 0, x, canvas.height);
+        ctx.clearRect(x + 177, 0, canvas.width - 177 - x, canvas.height);
+        ctx.drawImage(video, x, 0, 177, 100);
+      })();
     });
-  }, [position]);
+  }, [mediaSet, position]);
 
   // render component