An intermediate Guide to Movie Making

Seeing as there are a few of us around here I know of (myself included) and I'm sure just as many lurkers, that are starting to move out of the DV camera phase of filmmaking and move into something closer-too-but-not-quite-professional level; what say we get something of a general guide going for people who are getting to the stage where they are ready to drop a bit of cash onto gear, but still not at the point where they can either afford to/ really need to spend 8K on a camera (for example)?

There are tons of guides out there for absolute no-budget filmmaking, and some for what to look for in really high end equipment and such, but I haven't found much for the  inbetween phase (the "Well I can't really keep using Halogen construction lamps to light all of my shots, but I don't have the money to throw down on a professional lighting kit either" phase)

So cameras, general must-have gear for an indie shoot, lighting, sound, general tips and tricks, really good recipes for rabbit stew, whatever you got, throw it out there.

Or, if I'm just talking out my ass here, what you guys actually use when shooting your own little shorts films and projects.