You're right; "How to start" is too broad a question.

Are you looking for tips such as:
how do you find a band (for a music video), how do find a writer (for a short), where do you find cast and crew, what do you use for playback, what kind of microphone to you get?
Or are you looking for creative advice like what the first shot of the day should be, how to light, where do you put the camera?

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Well, I have no problem finding local bands, as I'm in one myself, but I've never done a music video before. I was thinking of just trying to put together a music video from live footage first, but what would be the best way to do lighting? The stage and crowd area I would be filming in is pretty dark, and I was afraid that the darkness would damage the quality of the footage. But, because of basically no budget, I also don't have any lights to set up. What would you recomend?

And, not so much for the music video, but what type of mic would be best to use for a short film? Keep in mind that my funds are low at the moment, but that I also don't want to sacrfice too much quality. I'm not sure, but I think I would need a wireless mic, being that I am planning to do some long shots with dialogue.

Also (sorry, one more thing) if anyone has just creative tips or tricks that they have learned for either music videos or short films, I wouldn't mind learning.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember.- American Beauty

No need to apologize for asking questions. This is a great place to do it. When a question is too broad it's hard to answer. Sometimes filmmakers ask how to shoot a music video and they get a response only to say they know all that, they don't know where to find a band.

You don't want to use a wireless mic for a short film, you need what's called a "shotgun" mic. But a good one is going to cost some money - money that you don't have. However, you will need wireless mic's for that long shot. So know you're talking about several different mics for your shoot. And you don't have any money to spend.

I'm wondering if you can find someone who already owns mic's? Sometimes sound people for bands have "production" mic's. Just test them out first, because most "recording" and "stage" mic's aren't good for movie production.

You could always have the actors come back after shooting that long shot and re-record their dialogue. It's much easier to do when you don't have to sync up the lip movement exactly.

Light is going to be tough if you cannot bring in any equipment. When you say "basically no budget" do you mean you can't spend more than $70 to $100, or that you can't even afford $20?

Maybe you can borrow a few work lights and buy some foam core to use as a bounce board. With some planning you can hide the work lights form the camera's view and bounce the light onto the stage to get a little more light.

I'd say I could probably work with a budget of 100 USD or less.

Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember...