Low-Budget Lighting Hacks: Color & Dimming with Cheap Bulbs?

Hey everyone,

I'm Amara, a documentary filmmaker currently tackling a passion project, a short film, that's operating on a shoe-string budget. I'm shooting on my FX30, which is great, but lighting is where we're really feeling the pinch. I've been experimenting with some really cheap LED bulbs from the hardware store, trying to diffuse them with parchment paper and white sheets. The raw output is often harsh, and the color rendition is surprisingly... varied, even between bulbs from the same pack.

My main struggle is getting any kind of usable color control or dimming with these non-dedicated fixtures. I'm trying to avoid that sickly green or magenta cast, and the flickering at lower power, that can plague these types of lights. Other than just buying more expensive bulbs (which isn't an option right now), what are your best, real-world hacks for achieving decent color temperature and dimming with super cheap bulbs or even non-lighting specific fixtures, while still trying to avoid the worst CRI/TLCI pitfalls?

Any and all advice is super welcome!