I am a beginning filmmaker and would like camera choice help.?

I am a young filmmaker and I want to know what cameras you would recommend. I am not sure of the difference between point & shoot, slr, and camcorders. I mostly want to shoot 1080p HD short movies, so good audio would be great. I would also like a camera with some options on the menu itself to improve filming. With the zoom I don't need a long shot or anything just the ability to close up during video mode. Now on to the picture mode, I don't need to have breathtaking quality but it shouldn't be horrid quality either. My price range is around $500 and less. If you have anything to recommend, not just cameras that would be greatly appreciated.