Our story
Standard Play Studios was founded by Yorkshire born filmmaker Christian King, built on a passion for telling human stories through film.
After years of working independently, Christian began by documenting the lives of athletes, exploring the people behind the performance. From British boxer Germaine Brown in Road to The Title to MMA fighter Tim Wilde, these early projects shaped an approach to filmmaking grounded in real experiences, honest conversations and the moments that reveal who we are.
That same approach now underpins our work with brands. We believe the most effective storytelling starts with people, finding the human experiences, relationships and ideas that give a brand meaning. Rather than simply telling audiences what a brand stands for, we bring those values to life through stories they can feel and connect with.
From our documentary with triathlete Tom Bishop and HUUB, celebrating a relationship built around a shared passion for the sport, to our work with London Marathon Events and Maverick Race, telling the stories of running community leads and their journey from the city to the trails, we bring this thinking to projects with different audiences and ambitions.
Today, Standard Play Studios works across original documentaries and brand storytelling, bringing a documentary filmmaker’s eye to every project. Whatever the brief, our ambition remains the same: to find the story worth telling, and tell it with honesty, creativity and craft.
The most powerful stories aren't manufactured. They're found in real people, the communities around them and the experiences that shape who they are. We tell these stories with honesty, character and ambition, looking beyond the surface to find what makes them matter.
We believe these stories have the power to create meaningful impact, whether shining a light on an issue, changing how people see the world or bringing a brand's values to life through real people and experiences. Because when a story means something, it has the power to move people.
OUR APPROACH
We start with stories worth caring about
WORKING WITH BRANDS
We believe people connect with people
The most powerful brand stories are rooted in something real. A person, a place, a culture, a feeling or an idea worth sharing. We bring a documentary filmmaker's perspective to brand storytelling, uncovering the human stories behind a brand and finding creative ways to bring them to life. The result is work that feels authentic to the brand, gives audiences something meaningful to connect with and goes beyond simply telling people what to think.
Small footprint. Big impact.
We believe great production doesn’t need a big footprint. We work with small, efficient and specialised crews, bringing in the right people for each project and keeping production lean without compromising on craft.
Whether we’re working on a live event or a controlled set, our approach minimises disruption, keeps teams agile and allows us to focus on capturing the moments that matter.