Making DaVinci Resolve Fairlight and Freesound.org sing together for pro-level indie film audio?

Hey everyone,

I'm a working composer, and while I'm comfortable with music, the world of film sound mixing for dialogue and FX is a different beast. I'm currently scoring an indie short shot on a C70, and the director is on a seriously tight budget. We're trying to keep post-production costs down, and I'm keen to help where I can.

I've been exploring DaVinci Resolve's Fairlight page, it seems incredibly powerful for a free tool. I'm also looking at Freesound.org for sound effects and ambiences. My main concern is taking these free resources and crafting a mix that doesn't scream 'no-budget.' I've fiddled with some basic EQ and compression in Fairlight, but the overall sound still feels a little thin and unpolished. We're recording dialogue on a few different mics, and getting them to blend seamlessly is proving tricky.

For those of you who've successfully used Fairlight and Freesound.org on indie projects, what are your best strategies? How do you really make the most of these free tools to achieve a professional-sounding mix, especially when you can't afford dedicated sound engineers or massive sound libraries?