I've said it before, but I think typically most people get confused when they say I want the 'film' look............I believe really what they mean is they want a 'professional' look.
I agree with this. What you are trying to avoid is the early video or soap opera video look. For me the video vs. film debate is over. My first two features were shot on film and my last two on video. Granted, my first video feature was a learning experience, as I over-lit a lot of it. Video movies shot with any amount of care look far better than their past decades counterparts.
I really like the Cinegamma of the Panasonic cameras - soft light, instead of the usual video harshness.
Don't forget Magic Bullet.
Shallow depth of field - try long lenses or zoom in.
Well lit - don't forget "back" and "hair" lights
Gel your windows, so they don't wash out.
Have enough fill light, so lamps and in frame light sources do not wash out.
Flag your lights to create shadows and dark patches.
Branches, window blinds and other gobos can break it up direct light.
Diffusion, like softboxes or even printer paper for a lower wattage clamp light.
Lastly, watch any adventure/sci-fi show and notice how scenes are fogged, and that you never really thought about it before. A slight blast of high quality fog in an interior scene will linger and catch the light, as well as take the edge off deep focus.
I have a lot to learn about lighting, but the above list is full of areas where I'm concentrating, or intend to concentrate on. My most recent project uses fog in the literal sense (foggy scenes) as well as for the softening regular interior shots.
This shot uses fog to soften up the background:
If you can give your movie "a look", it will help kill the film/video stigma and better allow your audience to fall into the story, IMO.