I don't like submarines. The thought of being trapped, several hundred feet underwater, in a tight, creaking death trap? No, thanks. I already knew that going to a screening of Submergedthe first scripted short film shot in Apple Immersive Video for Vision Pro. Now that I've seen it, I'm triple sure.
Written and directed by Oscar winner Edward Berger, Submerged It takes place inside a World War II submarine that is under attack. Follow the crew as they try to escape a sinking submarine. I, however, was sitting comfortably in 2024 on a couch in Apple's Manhattan demo space. There were no other theatergoers because I was going to tie the theater to my face. It was a little strange. At least, until the movie started. So I was also inside a World War II submarine.
Watching an immersive movie inside the Vision Pro is a strange thing. For one thing, it's hard to forget that you're wearing headphones. But unlike a normal film, I have a kind of ghostly agency within the narrative. The action may be happening with the main characters, but I'm not required to see them. Instead, you can focus on the extras in the background. I can (and did) occasionally choose to turn my head to look at the rivets on the metal walls of the submarine or the drops of condensation on a torpedo tube (also, rudely, a cockroach slithering across the floor). Sometimes I turned around to see if this Submerged The world was 360 degrees like the real one. Spoiler: it is not like that. This fictional world spans 180 degrees, and once you reach the edge, it fades to black.
The experience feels like a cross between playing a video game and watching Don't sleep anymorean immersive version of macbeth where the audience tours a creepy hotel while the play unfolds around them. Scenes move more slowly, as if inviting you to gape at your surroundings. At the same time, you are not completely free to explore. There's still a story Berger is trying to tell: you're simply on a journey.
All of that is a natural part of adapting traditional cinema to a more immersive 180-degree field of view. “That frame is very big and you need to fill it with things that happen, things that might be of interest to the audience,” Berger says. “In this, every extra counts, every piece of equipment, every piece of broken pipe or frame element counts. “You can’t really cheat.”
That wide field of vision has its own obstacles. Microphones and lighting must be integrated into the stage. Berger says he had to storyboard everything, create an animated short film based on that, and then watch it in Vision Pro to get an idea of how the camera would move. Berger also wore the headphones when filming began to figure out what the shots would look like.
The result is impressive. As the water entered this fictional submarine, I could feel the faint memory of salt water on my tongue. When the characters walked through narrow underwater hallways, I felt claustrophobic. During a scene in which sailors were pushing a torpedo into its launch tube, I instinctively stretched out my hands. For a split second, I thought they were carrying him directly onto my chest.
“My main goal is to make you feel what the main character feels, to make you go through what he's doing,” Berger says. On that front, Submerged It is incredibly successful. When you remember you're wearing headphones, the rest of the world quickly comes back.
Watching the movie, you realize that no one else is experiencing this with you. There is no one else gasping for breath in heartbreaking moments. There's no one to look into the eyes, as if to say, “Wow, you saw that too?” If you shared this, you would see a ghostly Persona of a friend who isn't actually there. And then you would miss the whole immersive aspect. When you think about it that way, Submerged It's something you have to experience alone.
Watching the movie, you realize that no one else is experiencing this with you.
Owning (or borrowing) a Vision Pro is also the only way to see Submerged. That's inherently lonely. The only people I could really chat with about this experience were Apple employees and Berger himself. Now that the movie is out, I'll have to wait for the two people I know in real life with a Vision Pro to make time in their schedules to watch it. When I try to explain it to my spouse, he is unmoved.
Apple apparently wants these immersive movies to serve as a selling point for the Vision Pro. Come, spend $3,500 and see for yourself what the magic is all about. There is a logic to this. Submerged is truly a technologically impressive proof of concept for high-quality immersive content. It is also a difficult experience to share. I can't seriously say that this is the main reason anyone should buy one of these things, especially since it was only about a 17 minute movie. That's enough time for things to feel snappy and fresh. I'm not sure how well the immersive aspect would hold up over a two-hour feature.
“Not all movies will be made with these headphones. There's no need. It would be a waste of resources and a waste of time,” Berger acknowledges. Instead, he sees the Vision Pro as just another tool in his belt. “Not all films are supposed to be for all media. But if I have the right story, I think, 'I'm excited to tell this and move the medium forward.'”
That's the quagmire all mixed reality technology is stuck in. can be magical When you try it, you can see why some people feel inspired and excited. And then, when you inevitably take off the headphones, it's hard to explain to someone why the world inside the headphones is better than the outside. “Push the limits” is not such a compelling reason. Looking Submerged It's like that too. Despite all the artistic and technological prowess that went into making this movie, I never needed the Vision Pro to imagine how terrifying a sinking submarine could be. It's just not necessary to immerse yourself in a good story.
