I’ve not used this blog to promote anything that is associated to me in any way at all. But today I’m going to post about a short film a friend of mine was involved quite heavily.

It’s a short 10 minute film in Welsh called “Y Fargen” or The Arrangement to give it its English title. The film was produced by James Nee and Rhodri ap Dyfrig in 2005, but it’s only just become available on-line recently. I was quite surprised to learn that this was their first ever film! The Arrangement was filmed over two days at Keeper’s Lodge in Pontypool. It proved to be the ideal location with exactly the right characteristics and atmosphere the producers were looking for.

Having just watched the film I have to say that I was massively impressed with the production. Obviously, I have an interest in this because of my university course. We have to do film making as part of the process of learning how film works. Currently we’re developing scripts to produce.

Although the film is in Welsh, there is a version available with subtitles and that’s what I’m going to link to below. Sit back; close the curtains and turn off the lights. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this short.

http://vimeo.com/4164947

Some of you might remember a while back that I wrote about the Flip Mino on this very blog. Well, they have bought out a High Definition version. The Flip Mino HD is practically the same as the original but with much better capabilities.

The Flip Mino HD is still operated by clicking on the one button and it still has the flip out USB connector. The Flip Mino HD also features the built in software that made the Flip Mino such an instant and international hit.

The Flip Mino HD takes video in stunning 720p High Definition which is also Widescreen. It’s also possibly the smallest and easiest to use HD camcorder in the world. Not only that, but the Flip Mino HD takes 60 minutes of video on it’s built in 4Gb of memory.

You don’t have to carry around any chargers or cables either because it charges the battery through the USB connector. With this kind of quality, style and features they couldn’t possibly keep the price under £100. The Flip Mino HD also surprises on the price front because it’s under £170 - That’s got to be the cheapest price for a HD camcorder too. Go get yours today from PriceGrabber.

So I know the summer is almost upon us and we should be thinking about things to do outside, but given the track record of the UK weather over the past couple of years it may be a good idea to stock up on some movies to pass the time as you wait for the showers to clear. In the past few weeks there have been some fantastic releases, and if you didn’t get a chance to catch them at the cinema first time around, then you may want to consider picking them up on Bluray disk.

First of how about I am Legend.  The tale of one mans fight for survival in a deserted New York. Will Smith plays the part of a sole survivor in this famous American city after a plague has wiped out most of man-kind leaving any survivors as blood thirsty zombies. Unlike some of the Zombie films of the past these guys can get around at top speeds which makes for some great action sequences. Personally I think these were some of the best zombie special effects to date and I for one can’t wait to see them in High Def.

I can also highly recommend Enchanted, which in my opinion is another winner from Disney which will be a sure fire hit for kids of all ages. I actually watched this on a flight during my recent trip and even though it was on a small screen with terrible audio I highly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see it again, this time with the Bluray treatment.

Finally another disk I can’t wait to get my hands on is 3:10 to Yuma,  a gritty story of a small-time rancher who desperate for money agrees to hold a captured outlaw who’s awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. If you are even the slightest bit interested in Westerns then you will want to pick this one up - it’s fantastic.