From football to tennis, student-athletes across the country face covert obstacles regarding their identity, academic life and relationships. Yet, the audience only sees them when they play, completely disregarding what goes on behind closed doors.

“Coach’s Office” is a short film directed by Devyn Dyett, a senior majoring in cinematic arts, film and television production, and produced by the Black Art Collective, a student organization whose focus is to amplify Black voices in the arts. The film follows Shemar Davis (De’jon Benton), a young football player who navigates his new life as a student-athlete, dealing with familial and academic pressures.

“I work for USC athletics, mainly with the women’s volleyball team,” Dyett said. “I have a different level of respect or viewpoint on these student-athletes that we share this campus with every day.”

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Dyett drew inspiration for the film from her own experiences playing basketball and her observations, watching a fellow student encounter challenges in her own life as a student-athlete. However, the pressure athletes feel not only comes from school but from their community, highlighting how the journey can be isolating.

“There are also a lot of nuances when it comes to identity and family relationships, the kind of pressure that your own community can put on you in terms of succeeding in any field,” Dyett said.

Even though the story is about an athlete, the main beats of the film are universal. The film tackles impactful themes pertaining to societal expectations, race and ambition. Despite not playing a sport, some of the cast and crew could relate to Davis’s story.

“My mother was really intentional about the steps that I took as a young person in my youth and teen years,” said QuaNeice Hunt, the actress who plays Charlene Davis in “Coach’s Office.” “She was very intentional about me, ensuring that I was really focused so that I could, in a nutshell, and in her words, have a better job than she did.”

“Coach’s Office” offers a path toward compassion and empathy that many spectators do not see when the players are on the field. The film encapsulates the nuances of what it is like to be a student-athlete, which often goes under the radar, and in the process, it creates a better understanding of the human experience in general.

“I always thought of athletes as being in their own class of students,” said Jordan Freeman, a producer and assistant director for “Coach’s Office,” as well as a senior majoring in film and television production. “It was through speaking with [Dyett] but also speaking with [Benton] that I came to understand better all of the complexities that go into their experience.”

While the plot and issues tackled are very important, there was also an entire crew behind the scenes that made “Coach’s Office” possible. The BAC, in particular, helped finance the project, but its aid did not stop there. It also helped many students participate in their first on-set role, providing opportunities for those who lacked the experience.

“We got to allow a lot of different students to participate in their on-set role for the first time and gain that technical experience. The way the Black Art Collective is able to allow students to inhabit roles for the first time is through our educational programming,” Freeman said.

Dyett and Freeman, alongside Tracey Gibbs, a senior majoring in cinematic arts, film and television production, worked hard to create an environment that fostered collaboration and felt like a safe space for everyone included. Because they built this production from the ground up, their passion and hard work shine through the screen.

“I really appreciated their professionalism, their knowledge of the skill set of filmmaking, the technical and the artistic pieces, and their passion toward the task at hand and the craft,” Hunt said.

The team bonded over teaching the first-time grips and production assistants how to use the equipment. As assistant director, Freeman oversaw multiple departments, keeping track of time and helping anyone struggling with their tasks.

Although the set could get intense at points during the shoot, the crew found ways that brought them closer as a community. Lunchtime was an element that connected everyone on set with laughter and conversation.

“It was really cool seeing everyone become more comfortable and proficient as they gained more on-set experience,” Freeman said. “What stands out to me are the lunch breaks for the set. The food was amazing but also the laughter and the jovial environment of lunch was really fun and a really nice break from the intensity of shooting.”

Starting from the development of the script all the way to post-production, Dyett believed in this short film, knowing that it could change people’s perspectives on what it is like to live as a student-athlete. Her perseverance drove her to stick to the project despite the obstacles because she had confidence in her vision.

“I definitely realized the director has to be the one to believe in the project and stick with it till the very end. Post-production time was really hard because there were moments where I was like, ‘Is this even going to get done?’” Dyett said, “ I just have to see it through, [I have] to stick with it, even if it’s not exactly how I want it to be.”