Is Apple’s “Submerged” the future of moviemaking?

Apple today released the first scripted drama short film for Apple Vision Pro.

I’ve had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with Apple Vision Pro in the last few weeks. I’ll have a lot more to say about that in the near future, but today was a big day for the platform as Apple launched Submerged, the first scripted film made in immersive video. It’s not feature-length at 17 minutes, but it provides a tantalizing look at what kind of films can be made for this platform. Here’s what Apple says about Submerged:

Shot on location in Prague, Brussels, and Malta over three weeks, Submerged was filmed using a full-scale 23-ton submarine set made with real steel, brass, and metal that was modeled after WWII-era vessels. Significant portions of the set were built to withstand being fully submerged, and 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. Cast members who might appear out of frame or focus in a 2D feature were meticulously scripted and participated in extensive stunt rehearsals, including freedive training in dive tanks and open water, to maintain continuity and realism. Fans can go behind the scenes of Submerged with a short film that shows how the cast and crew crafted this immersive, action-packed drama exclusively for Apple Vision Pro.

So first, I love WWII films, and I love submarine films, so I was like a moth to the flame with this one.  Going into the film, I was curious if the immersive format would be distracting. After all, with a traditional film, you can only see exactly what the director and director of photography want you to see within the flat, rectangular frame of the camera. With Apple’s immersive video for Apple Vision Pro, it’s still the case that the filmmakers direct your vision with specific camera angles, keeping what they want you to focus on in the center of the frame, but you can look allaround you. You can look up at the ceiling or down at the floor. You can see characters who are next to you. I didn’t ultimately find it distracting at all, but really engrossing.

The setting of a submarine was actually perfect for this medium given that it’s a constrained space. And it was really neat to be able to look around and read labels on doors, or see the detail of a valve, or look down to see water at your feet in a flooded torpedo room. And the film opens with you underwater as the submarine moves into frame above you like a more immersive version of the Star Destroyer during the opening of Star Wars.

This felt more like a technology demo than a true film, and it also felt very much like a Disney World immersive ride, but those aren’t complaints. It’s very effective at giving audiences a glimpse into what more filmmakers can do with the format, and I hope we eventually get a whole catalog of feature-length films like this.