The name “VALIS” comes from the title of a science fiction novel written by Philip K. Dick (Bantam Books, New York, 1981, ISBN 0-553-20594-3). The following definition comes from the beginning of the book:
VALIS (acronym of Vast Active Living Intelligence System, from an American film): A perturbation in the reality field in which a spontaneous self-monitoring negentropic vortex is formed, tending progressively to subsume and incorporate its environment into arrangements of information. Characterized by quasi-consciousness, purpose, intelligence, growth and an armillary coherence. -- Great Soviet Dictionary Sixth Edition, 1992
a.k.a. the internet
I hung out my shingle under the name Valis Video, Film & Sound in 1987 and established a studio in the old Medallion Film Labs building on Mercer Street downtown in Toronto. In 2017, making way for the building of Nobu, a hotel/condominium complex, Valis went totally virtual. Well, the computers and various bits of machinery are housed in my basement here in Toronto, and in the internet. The voice booth is in the nice airy front room. The software hums, and the work is digital, stuffed through the intertubes. – that vast active living intelligence system
Creating motion picture and sound is a team sport and my focus is on the finishing of the project – Editing, Sound, Animation, VFX, Colour Correction and Mastering but I have Produced and Directed on numerous projects. Post Production Supervision is a task I am increasingly asked to perform. The clients range from independent filmmakers to large corporations. Entertainment, Marketing, and Communications are the regular focus of the work. No job is too small, nor too large – the internet is a vast place. My job is to bring your vision to life.
Prices are determined by the specifics of the project and the budget available.
You can view some cartoons I’ve created for fun at asphaltpotato.com