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Apple today introduced Submerged, the first scripted short film designed for Apple Immersive Video on the Vision Pro headset. The 17-minute movie is set in World War II, and it follows a group of sailors that are struggling to survive a deadly torpedo attack.


Submerged was directed by Austrian filmmaker Edward Berger, who also directed 2022 movie All Quiet on the Western Front. Apple shared a behind the scenes video on the making of Submerged, showing off the full-scale 23-ton submarine set that was used for filming.


Submerged, like other Apple Immersive Video content, features high-resolution 3D video that's meant to be viewed on the Vision Pro, and it is meant to make the wearer feel like they are part of the action. Spatial Audio is included for a more immersive experience.
"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," said Tor Myhren, Apple's vice president of Marketing Communications. "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."
In addition to introducing Submerged, Apple also highlighted additional Apple Immersive Video content coming in the next few months.

Next Friday, Apple plans to release an immersive short film featuring the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, and in November, Apple will team up with The Weeknd for an immersive music experience celebrating his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

In December, Apple will release the next episode of its Adventure series. "Ice Dive" will follow freediver Ant Williams as he attempts his best record for the longest distance dive under ice with a single breath. Adventure will continue in early 2025 in Majorca, Spain, with sport climber Kai Lightner.

A new series called Concert for One will also come before the end of 2024, and it will feature intimate performances from some of the world's biggest artists. The first episode will feature British singer-songwriter RAYE.

The next episode of the Elevated series will come in early 2025, and it will feature a crisp autumn in New England, with an aerial journey along winding coastlines and rivers.

Apple Vision Pro is available in Australia, Canada, China mainland, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. All Apple Immersive Video is available at no additional cost and it can be viewed in the Apple TV app in most countries. In China, the video content can be watched in the Migu Video and Tencent Video apps.

Article Link: Apple Launches 'Submerged' Short Film for Vision Pro, Outlines Upcoming Content
 
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Reactions: SFjohn
Great news - the immersive content released to date is just stunning.

I did not expect them to react that quickly - received a survey from an Apple contracted research company and they asked in one question what I like most?

My answer was that the immersive content is just outer world for me and more is needed.

looking forward to this very welcome new immersive content.

It is just getting better every day!
 
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More like 500,000 but even then I fail to see your point.
yeah, many will put down the vision pro because it's not realistic for very many users. But that's not the point of this product. Apple needed to make it good enough to attract a respectable number of users so that they could get real world usage and feedback to help improve the software and hardware. They went high end knowing that as they improve things hardware costs could drop so that in later years they could then deliver a great experience at a more affordable price point. It's their foot in the door.
 
Personally, I have no doubts Apple Vision Pro is awesome for 3D content.
My question is: why the hell didn't Apple make hundreds of movies, tv shows, and AAA games available for it when they launched it???!!!
Not to mention apps!
I mean, I understand if not many third-party devs won't want to invest at first, but why Apple hasn't rethought all its apps from the ground up to take advantage of the Apple Vision Pro... this astonishes me....
 
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This is hands down the most impressive thing I’ve seen to date on Vision Pro by a LOOONG shot. They really went into uncharted territory - there’s really no convention on framing 180 degrees for narrative-driven content, but they knocked this one out of the park.
 
yeah, many will put down the vision pro because it's not realistic for very many users. But that's not the point of this product. Apple needed to make it good enough to attract a respectable number of users so that they could get real world usage and feedback to help improve the software and hardware. They went high end knowing that as they improve things hardware costs could drop so that in later years they could then deliver a great experience at a more affordable price point. It's their foot in the door.

Yep. Amazing how many people fail (or choose not) to see that. At $3,500 it's effectively a dev kit masquerading as a product.
 
yeah, many will put down the vision pro because it's not realistic for very many users. But that's not the point of this product. Apple needed to make it good enough to attract a respectable number of users so that they could get real world usage and feedback to help improve the software and hardware. They went high end knowing that as they improve things hardware costs could drop so that in later years they could then deliver a great experience at a more affordable price point. It's their foot in the door.

That plan is working, at least for me. $3500 is too rich for my blood, at least for something that's more a 'wow, that's really cool' product than something I'd be productive with. But they have my attention, and every time they release content like this I get a little jealous that I can't experience it.

In other words, they're definitely priming the pump to extract $1500 (or whatever) out of me when that version gets released. :)
 
That movie knocked my socks off. I will say, I bought my AVP used on Marketplace for $2000 (we met in front of our local Apple Store to do the exchange so I could test it). After using it a few months, for $2k, it's the right price for the product as it stands today. At $3500 plus tax? Not yet worth it for the content available.
 
Thoughts on watching:

Wow, this is an INCREDIBLE story-experiencing medium!

Wow, this was made by people who have NEVER seen a submarine movie!

Like, what were the 15' ceilings doing EVERYWHERE in the sub? It felt like a cathedral in there. Huge missed opportunity to make it feel REALLY claustrophobic.

And the people just didn't act like people. Three guys literally RIGHT behind you in the flooding chamber, water up to their chest? Yeah, close the hatch SLOWLY, reeeeal slowly. But where are the other guys? They were RIGHT there. Why aren't they trying to come up with you to save their lives? Why, if you had that much time, didn't you call and tell them to hurry? Just weird.

I mean I get they probably thought it was too traumatic to include the (very real) trope of having to close the hatch on your buddies because you'd all die if you didn't. But if that's the case, don't show other guys in there being closed in. 🤷‍♂️


Altogether the characters just didn't feel at all like they were in the situation they were in.
 
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