“Submerged” is a new film shot specifically for Vision Pro, making it the first scripted immersive film made for the platform — and only for it. Because of how it was shot and mastered, it can only be watched on Vision Pro.
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Edward Berger, “Submerged” is a fictional thriller that takes viewers into a WWII-era submarine while it is under attack. It’s the first major example of how stories can be told in an immersive format.
“Apple Immersive Video allows Apple Vision Pro users around the world to experience the next generation of sports, documentaries, and music performances. With Submerged, an immersive film from visionary director Edward Berger, we’re excited to premiere the next generation of narrative filmmaking,” Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of Marketing Communications, says.
“Vision Pro places you in the middle of the story — inside a densely packed submarine, shoulder to shoulder with its crew. That deep sense of immersion just wasn’t possible before, and we can’t wait to see how it inspires filmmakers to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.”
The film was shot over a relatively short period: it took just three weeks. That said, it’s a short film with a runtime of around 15 minutes. It was shot using a full-scale 23-ton submarine that was modeled after vessels of the age and parts of it were constructed so that they could be fully submerged during production. Apple says the production featured “practical camera traps and special effects that were uniquely rigged to expose Apple Immersive Video cameras to sparks, steam, water, and fire without breaking viewers’ sense of immersion.”
Even cast members who may appear out of frame or the focus of the action in a typical production had no such luxury in this production, which increased the complexity of training, continuity, and organization.
Apple says that the film was shot using “Apple Immersive Video cameras, which feature two lenses to record 8K 3D video,” but no other details were provided. From an image of the camera (above), it appears to be similar but not identical to the upcoming Blackmagic Ursa Cine Immersive that was announced as in production earlier this year. Given the resolution specifications are identical, though, it may be an early version of the camera.
UPDATE: Speaking to Collider, Berger says the camera is brand new and developed by Apple.
“No, it’s a very new camera, specially developed by Apple. It’s a specially designed stereoscopic camera with microphones that are also, in a way, multidirectional. Don’t quote me on this, but I think it’s 64 directions or so that you mix, so you need to record Spatial Audio,” he says, quoted in Collider‘s coverage.
“You can really direct the direction of the sound if it comes from behind, above, or below because you see everywhere. This camera obviously sees 180 degrees, and that comes with, ‘Where do you hide lights? Where do you hide the microphone? Where do you hide the tripod that the camera’s on?’ You don’t want to carry it around on your shoulder.”
A Feature Film Meant Only for Vision Pro
As The Verge‘s Victoria Song writes, because the film was shot specifically for the Vision Pro, most who watch it will be doing so alone. Song says that the experience — while incredible — is “inherently lonely.” Because of its price, Vision Pro remains out of reach for most people.
“The only people I’ve really been able to chat about this experience with were Apple employees and Berger himself. Now that the film is available, I’ll have to wait for the two people I know in real life with a Vision Pro to carve out time in their schedule to see it.”
Berger admitted to Song that not every movie can or will be made to be watched on Vision Pro like “Submerged” was, saying it is both not necessary and that it would be a “waste of resources and waste of time.” That said, it remains a possible option for filmmakers to tell stories differently, similar to how video games evolved as a new medium that coexists with television and movies.
Vision Pro is an incredible platform that is basically impossible to explain to anyone who hasn’t actually put the headset on themselves. Song says that, despite how good “Submerged” was as a visual experience, is part of the problem.
“That’s sort of the quagmire all mixed reality tech is stuck in. It can be magical. When you try it, you can see why some people are inspired and excited. And then, when you inevitably take the headsets off, it’s hard to explain to anyone why the world inside the headset is better than the one outside it.”
Song’s interview with Berger and review of the movie is worth reading over at The Verge.
Image credits: Apple
