As Apple continues to grow the catalog of immersive video content for Apple Vision Pro users, we’re now learning more about the production process of this content. In a new interview on the Voices of VR podcast, Kent Bye was joined by Ant Williams, a freediving athlete featured in the “Ice Dive” episode of “The Adventure Series” immersive video show.
In the interview, Williams describes the process of shooting the episode, which was a collaboration between Apple Studios and Atlantic Productions:
I got contacted by Atlantic Productions, who were looking to make something really unique for the Vision Pro with their adventure series. But they couldn’t tell me back then.
They were just like, ‘we can’t tell you who this is for or what it’s for, but we want to go and shoot something under the ice. Are you up for that?’ And I remember thinking at the time, ah, not really. Yeah. Like I got my record, I’m retired. And there are these freedivers that are based up in these Nordic countries who are full-time freedivers who specialize in ice diving. Go and talk to them. So I was really convinced that they wouldn’t choose me, but somehow they liked my story.
Williams also shared some details on his reaction when he found out the footage would be shot in Apple’s immersive format:
I remember the day that Charlotte Mikkelberg, the director of this adventure series, said to me, ‘okay, well, this is for Apple and it’s immersive format.’ And I was like, wait, wait, wait, what? This sounds incredible.
And she explained to me when people get to watch this, it’s not like they’re watching a film and it’s like they’re immersed completely with some of their senses. And they’re going to feel like they’re sitting down next to Johnny coaching you as you’re doing a training swim. They’re going to be next to you while you’re preparing your final breath for this swim. And it’s going to be so immersive that they’ll have a strong emotional reaction to it.
I kind of took it as, ‘oh yeah she’s just putting some spin on this.’ But now that I’ve experienced watching it, it’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced in VR.
You can listen to the full podcast on the Voices of VR website.
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