Who else would be the best to dispense filmmaking tips but National Geographic themselves:
Nothing clears a room like the question: “Who wants to see the video of my last vacation?” The answer, of course, is you (and possibly your mother). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Affordable digital video cameras and easy-to-use editing software are jump-starting the next generation of amateur auteurs (via; source)
Aside from shooting tips, you’re given basic gear tips to start with. Not so keen on using Windows Movie Maker for editing your home or vacation movies, but hey, if it rocks your socks off, and fuels your Regal-films director ambitions, go ahead. I also have to agree with Gadling: try using a script, and stick to it. Nothing beats letting random people in on an inside joke they can possibly realate to.
Oh ok, ‘adventure filmmaking‘ with, say, polar bears, is a rather tall order for those of the more common populace who only have point-and-shoot digicams, or video-capable mobile phones, but when was the last time you actually bothered to edit and marge those 5 to 10 second movie clips of your drunk friends that would appeal to any man-on-the-street?