Your audio comedy doesn't have to be just for audio outlets. Adding audio to your visuals can punch up a scene as well. Here's a simple scenario that might be part of a movie:

• A detective is driving his car when his cell phone rings. An anonymous caller gives him the telephone number 555-496-7325, which will help him solve a case. As the detective is listening, he's looking unsuccessfully for a pen to write down the number. The caller abruptly hangs up, leaving the detective with no way to ask her to repeat the number.

• The detective starts repeating the number to himself so that he won't forget it. As he's fumbling to dial the number, he drops the phone. He keeps repeating the number while he looks for the phone and continues to drive.

• Meanwhile, the radio DJ comes on the air to announce that it's time to call in for the big cash prize of the day. He gives the number of the toll-free contest line, 1-800-569-4326, and the amount of the big cash prize, $472.96, and repeats the information over and over.

• One-hit wonder Tommy Tutone's '80s hit 867-5309 starts playing. The detective has to fight to block out the radio station numbers as he finally locates his phone.

• As the detective starts to dial, his GPS chimes in to tell him to take a left in 1.5 miles onto route 495 and travel 16.8 miles to the 5th Street cutoff, which is exit 27. Of course, with this barrage of numbers the detective forgets the phone number, and he's back to square one.

In this scene, audio elements are used to barrage the character with common, everyday sounds involving numbers fatefully piling up at the same time. Now here's the cool part: If you can make the audience forget the telephone number as well, they will empathize with the detective and be drawn into the scene.