Shenandoah Student Produces Documentary To Give A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Esports Program

Shenandoah University student Daniil “Dany” Lobanov ’26 knows that the world of esports is much deeper than simply playing video games. He wants others to see that world for what it truly is, as well.

Lobanov, a student in Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Science in Esports program, recently produced “Beyond the Screen,” a 26-minute documentary that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Shenandoah Esports. The short film showcases just how the pioneering program – one of the nation’s first academic esports programs – fulfills its mission to take students “Beyond Gaming.”

“Beyond the Screen” features interviews with six people involved in Shenandoah Esports, including Instructor of Esports Alexander Merle-Smith, MBA, and five students who assume various roles in the academic and competitive aspects of the program. Lobanov, who feels it’s important for those earning the first academic degrees in esports to set an example for the industry, wanted the film to inspire others to pursue a degree in esports by showing off the depth of the academic program.

“Yes, esports is video games but there’s an entire tree behind it,” Lobanov said. “You can do so many things and a person can find themselves in many of those places – in media, in broadcast, as a player. It doesn’t really matter, as long as they are searching for themselves in esports, I think that they’ll find a really good place for themselves.”

The documentary begins with Lobanov asking participants about how and why they got into gaming and esports. The film then gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Shenandoah’s Esports Arena, including the spaces used on the production and broadcasting side – as well as the technology housed within it – that many people don’t get to see.

The latter half of the film showcases the academic side of SU’s esports program and explores how Shenandoah esports students have succeeded in the classroom as well as on the screen. The film ends with Merle-Smith explaining how the skills developed in Shenandoah University’s esports program translate to other career fields.

“Just like any hard job, it’s not going to be an easy road,” Merle-Smith says as the documentary comes to a close. “But if you love it, if esports and gaming is for you and you want to see the industry thrive and you love the roar of the crowd and you love all the different little pieces that go into what esports is, then I think maybe you want to be a part of it.”

Lobanov said he was with his friends Murat Metshin and Dmitriy Mishin in Boston, when the idea for “Beyond the Screen” was born. They offered to be his cameramen, and they shot the entire film in one day in October 2023. Lobanov said it was a challenge to structure all of the footage in a way that had a natural flow and followed a narrative, but he managed to pull it off while learning new technical skills – including color grading and sound mixing – and how to coordinate a production team.

Lobanov held a screening of “Beyond the Screen” in the Esports Arena in February 2024 and said it was well-received by his peers.

“Many people plan things, maybe they think a lot about things and come up with ideas, but they never really come to life. But the best thing is when an idea comes to life and is good, and it could be a piece of history,” Lobanov said. “Now this documentary is a part of Shenandoah’s history and it could have a really big impact. If you have an idea, anything that is good, just do it. Don’t overthink it. Get a crew around yourself and just execute it. In the end, it’s just experience.”