I really like Apple Vision Pro. It can be a bit heavy to wear for long periods of time, but I’ve been amazed time and time again by the technology packed into Apple’s headsets.
Lately, I’ve been using it more than anything else to watch content before bed, and SharePlay is very convenient. slow horse With my girlfriend Alex while traveling. So when I heard that Edward Berger was making a short film about World War II in an immersive format, I couldn’t wait to see it.
However, I had some concerns before trying it. Much of the immersive video content I’ve tried so far on the headset has focused on cool experiences, like singing while standing next to Alicia Keys in this studio, or getting up close and personal with a rhinoceros. These and live sports help you look around and lean back in an immersive environment. However, films and narrative content typically have a director with a clear vision and a cinematographer who intentionally moves and points the camera to achieve that vision. Part of the art of filmmaking is depicting a scene, but I wondered how that would be expressed when the audience looked around or moved their head to look around the space.
Well, I’m glad to hear that. Submerged ” proves that narrative-driven stories can be told in an immersive environment, and while it has several upgrades over regular films, it’s important to note that more directors are making this kind of content. There are also some drawbacks that can make it difficult.
The Vision Pro’s high resolution meant it was great to look around in the film. Everything looked incredibly realistic, partly because of the set, but partly because the headsets and cameras the team used picked up and displayed every detail. It really felt like being on a submarine, and just seeing the moisture on the walls as the characters walked through the scene was very impressive.
However, that realism was a double-edged sword. I think it took away a bit of the dream-like feel from the movie, and things like sound effects had to be captured with 3D microphones, which required a lot more editing than a normal movie of this length. In addition, the nature of the 180-degree field of view meant that the filmmaking team could not hide lighting off-screen, so all sets had to be designed to not only look authentic but also incorporate real lighting. there was. I think these challenges were tough to overcome, but they paid off in the final product, which was, for lack of a better word, truly immersive.
That said, there are two sound effects near the beginning of the movie that you can tell were added later. One is the protagonist clipping a flashlight to his belt, and the other is a flashing light on the wall. I could be wrong, but for me both of these sound effects turned out to be fake and momentarily interrupted the immersion. Normally I’m very forgiving of things like this in movies because it’s all “movie magic,” but for a production that feels so real like this, it was a little strange for some of that magic to emerge. .
This camera has two lenses side by side, but it’s not 3D. Capture a 180 degree field of view.
There were some moments in this movie where I wish the filmmakers had utilized that 180-degree field of view a little more. I don’t blame them for what they did. It’s not a bad movie by any means, but I think there were some aspects that could have used on-screen movement to let the viewer pan the view themselves instead of keeping the camera still and the action centered on the center frame. Masu.
This is fine once the action starts, but if your movie starts slow, try having your character start in a part of the frame and walk across it so the viewer can look around and follow the movement. I think it would have been better to get used to it. . There is a scene where the main character is flashing a flashlight around a room, but it doesn’t illuminate every corner of the room, and the camera cuts away before the action of the scene. Again, this is good traditional filmmaking, and while it probably would have been a gimmick to hold a wide shot and play the action in it so you could look around, I think it would be fun to play with the fact that the audience is watching. It is not fixed to a tripod.
Overall, Watching this short film was an amazing experience, and by the end of its 17-minute running time, I was begging to see more. Read more about the making of the film or watch a short behind-the-scenes look in the Apple Newsroom. YouTube videos.
MobileSyrup may earn commissions from purchases made through our links, which help fund the journalism we provide for free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Please support us here.
