If you are working on a low-budget film project, you may not be able to purchase props for your set design. You can, however, create your own props using materials that you collect from your community, friends and even through on-line donations. You may even want to start your own website to solicit donations. Create a sped-up behind-the-scenes look at your set being built on your website. Begin by creating a materials list that includes the types of materials you will need to create your set, from masking tape, fabric and paint to lighting equipment.
Enlist friends and volunteers to help make and decorate your set. For example, you may have a donation from individuals or from a business of fabric that can be used to create curtains or a chair cover. Check out thrift stores for possible props as well as furnishings, even if they need to be fixed up or reupholstered. Collect used wood to create a set. Find out where you can obtain permission to collect wood as well as other used items like an old door from a demolition area.
A variety of things can be done when creating your set, that are undetectable to viewers of your film/TV program. For instance; if your goal is to create your own TV series, place it on a video sharing site like YouTube in hopes of a receiving an offer from a network. Make your set and its props to be a bit more mobile, like creating hollowed-out props. For example, if your show/film is supposed to be set at a school, create sets of fake books that can be shifted around to look like your scenes occur in different classrooms.