Most production quotes hide the same three costs: gear rental, agency markup, and the coordination tax that comes with both. Own the gear and remove the middle layers, and the math changes.
The rental markup problem
Cinema cameras, lenses, lighting, and support gear are expensive to rent by the day. Agencies and freelancers pass that cost through — often with a margin attached. Over a year of regular content, those day rates add up to the price of ownership without ever building equity in the tools.
We own the kit. ARRI and RED-class cameras, glass, lighting, and support stay on our floor. That removes the rental line item entirely and lets us price around actual production time instead of equipment fees.
Agency layers slow everything down
Traditional agency structures insert account management, producers, and creative directors between the brand and the people who actually shoot. Each layer adds time, cost, and interpretation. Briefs get filtered. Revisions multiply. The final frame is often further from the original intent than anyone intended.
Baker Brothers runs lean on purpose. Clients talk directly to the people making the work. Decisions happen faster because fewer people need to be brought up to speed.
What that means for CPG brands
CPG and DTC timelines are tight. Product launches, seasonal resets, and always-on social demand consistent visual output without the overhead of a full in-house studio or the delay of a multi-layered agency process.
Owning the gear and running a direct production model cuts both cost and cycle time. You get cinema-quality work without paying for equipment you don't keep or layers of coordination you don't need.
The real efficiency
It's not just cheaper. It's cleaner. Fewer handoffs mean fewer places for the brief to drift. The same team that understands your product and your brand standards is the team that shoots and delivers. Consistency compounds when the people and the tools stay the same.
