The Studio  ·  Est. 2025

A small documentary
practice for the people
who built something
with heart.

Studio Shanafelt is led by Tyler Shanafelt — embedded in the Southern California founder scene. We work with a small, rotating collective, assembling the crew each story needs.

Tyler Shanafelt
Portrait  ·  Tyler Shanafelt  ·  85mm
Founder  ·  Director  ·  Editor

Tyler Shanafelt.

I started editing professionally in 2019 — commercial work, original documentaries, branded content, and narrative. The kind of reel that covers a lot of ground because it had to.

But the work I kept coming back to was always the same: someone telling me why they built what they built. Those were the stories that stuck. So I started directing my own.

Founders Files is the natural end of that thread — long-form portraits of the people who built something with their hands and their conviction. I direct, shoot, and edit each one. The studio is what surrounds the work — a circle of collaborators I’ve grown to trust.

Based in Oceanside, California  ·  Filming locally and beyond.
How we work
One story. Done right. The kind of process that lets a film actually become itself.
— Step One
Listen.
A conversation, then another. We get to know your story, your audience, and your goals before anything else — building a treatment that captures the vision, the voice, and the why before a camera ever comes out.
— Step Two
Spend time.
We sit with and film you in the spaces where your story lives — somewhere you feel comfortable, somewhere that’s yours. We’re looking for what’s true before we look for what’s beautiful.
— Step Three
Shoot slowly.
We film supporting b-roll that gives the story depth and texture — the details, the environment, the small moments that make a documentary feel immersive rather than just informative.
— Step Four
Edit quietly.
We choose music that moves, layer in sound design that grounds the world, and color grade the film to feel intentional. Then we review it with you — making sure we’ve nailed your voice and your story before it goes anywhere.
Recognition
An editor on A Place at the Operating Table.

An award-winning documentary that screened at the United Nations.

Telly AwardsA Place at the Operating Table  ·  Silver   
Hermes Creative AwardsA Place at the Operating Table  ·  Platinum ×2
U.N. Commission on the Status of WomenOfficial Screening
Inquire

Tell us what
you built.

We take on a limited number of Founders Files a year. If you’ve spent the last decade making something you’d want a film about — say hello.

Begin an inquiry  → Read our process