I am writing this article after being stuck on a WWII submarinewho was attacked. From my living room. And after experiencing the first short film ever created for Apple Vision Pro, I can say I still feel like I’m there.
Submerged is a 17-minute short storyfilmed in the immersive video format used in Apple’s spatial computing device. Written and directed by none other than Oscar winner Edward Berger, the action unfolds 180 degrees in front of you, completely encompassing your field of vision.
When the screening begins, we understand that more than a viewing, Submerged is a journey: support for the protagonist and a crew in danger that you are close but you can’t help. And you are alone with them: unlike how we watch movies at home or in the cinema, there is no one next to you with you. It’s you and the story. Or rather, it’s the story with you inside.
APPLE’S AUGMENTED REALITY GLASSES are called VISION PRO and look like SCIENCE FICTION
A new way of telling stories
After seeing all the immersive videos that Apple offers dropper Since the launch of Apple Vision Pro on February 2, I have to say that Submerged is the one that most elevates the immersive experience (never said better). It’s not a traditional film, for example, there is no tracking shots or shots with a lot of camera movement, to prevent the viewer from feeling dizzy.
This is the camera made by Apple to record in immersive format.
These are the details. Berger recounts in the manufacturing of that shooting a film for Apple Vision Pro does not allow you to “cheat”. The field of vision is wider and the lights and sound must come off the stage in a real wayso that it is captured realistically. And you have to hide the filming elements very well: here you’re not just looking at a fixed shot, you can move your head and look wherever you want.
The details of the scenes where the action takes place are incredible. And we can stop and look at them.
That’s why you can follow the main action or look around you. Everything is full of things to discover: The sets have been recreated with metal and materials as close as possible to the submarines of the era – and this allows for absolutely incredible realism and shots. The depth and quality of the textures almost make you want to touch everything.
This is the scene with which the action begins. Being there, literally, is extremely real.
The story is short. It begins calmly, showing us the (little) submarine recesses while we listen to the not at all reassuring sounds of the submarine under the ocean
Without revealing anything of the plot, Where the action starts is when Apple Vision Pro’s capabilities shine. The water, the sparks, the fire, the explosions, everything is there, in front of us, in our living room. The adventure shows us in each scene what is happening, with relatively still shots where everything is happening. A technical marvel and the feeling of having really been there.
This way of storytelling does not necessarily have to reach all films, but only those that can enhance the narrative told with such a personal device. But we are undoubtedly at the beginning of new possibilities for immersion in cinema, which directors can explore in depth. Far beyond watching a traditional movie on a rectangle and 3D, Immersive cinema puts us at the center of everything. This brings us there: and it opens the door – and the eyes – to a way of experiencing stories different from those to which we are accustomed. Almost real, because after being on board this submarine, I still have this feeling.
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