Sub $500 Lens: Beyond Kit, for an Aspiring Focus Puller?

Hey everyone,

I'm Liam Hartigan, a working Focus Puller, mostly on projects with ALEXA Minis and V-RAPTOR XLs. I'm trying to kit out a more personal setup for smaller passion projects, think indie shorts and music videos where I'm doing more than just pulling. I've got an FX3 currently and the standard kit lens is, well, a kit lens. I keep seeing advice everywhere about how lenses are the most important investment, even more so than the camera body sometimes. I totally get that, especially seeing the incredible glass we use on bigger sets.

My question is, without breaking the bank, what's a specific prime or zoom lens you'd recommend that offers significantly better image quality and character than a typical kit lens, all for under $500? I'm not expecting cinema primes, but something that genuinely punches above its weight. What have you found works for getting that more 'cinematic' look without that bare-bones kit lens feel?