Resources for sets, wardrobes and props

[jaypass]

I've been poking around, googling and such, but I still haven't come up with some concrete information on this, so I figured I'd ask here.

I'm curious about what the lower-budget folks use when needing unique film sets, wardrobes and props. For example, I've been on kind of a 1920s gangster kick lately, and was looking into what it would take to put together a decent set for a short film that's set in the 1920s. I know big budget films just build their own locations(I'm thinking of Boardwalk Empire, that's my inspiration for this). Building something for me is out of the question, way too expensive...so I guess my question is, is there a resource that lists different kinds of locations or buildings that could be used for filming? What kind of limitations or difficulties come with using historical sites for filming? How does everyone here secure locations such as these?

In addition to that, what resources do people use for authentic looking wardrobe and props for period pieces like this?
I'm not in need of the above things yet, but I'm definitely interested in seeing how this type of thing could be done on a low budget, and what other folks do to find this stuff.

Thanks!

 

[StillGuerrillaFilms]

This is a good question. I've always been using my own place, etc. for my projects but it's not until now that I'm going to need to actually build a set even though it's in my living room still (and for the first time, I wish I had a small warehouse to build in or any place other than my own home. I'm getting tired of that too). I'm online now trying to put together some ideas as well about the best way to go about doing it. I could do it all willy nilly but I'm tired of wasting money on trial and error projects.

I know here in Florida they actually have an "Location Resource" section on the Florida Film Commission website. It has some good locations on it but I wish there were more grassroots locations like what you would see in the "house swap" section of the classifieds... regular folks willing to let you shoot in their place for X amount of dollars or free.

But I think we are getting closer to that here. I'm planning to buy 10 acres next year and boy will I be out of control but until then... I'm in the same boat... trying to find the best and affordable methods for building sets.