Inside the First Feature-Length Immersive Film for Apple Vision Pro: Bono – Stories of Surrender

by Reuben EvansJune 25^th, 2025

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Filmmaker Elad Offer has directed the first feature-length immersive film for Apple’s Vision Pro headset. His collaboration with U2’s Bono represents a groundbreaking fusion of intimate storytelling and cutting-edge spatial technology that’s redefining the cinematic experience.

We’ve looked at immersive storytelling for the Vision Pro before – if you are interested in the subject, check out the section on the site. We reported on recent productions for the platform as well as camera technology, such as the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive, which are now becoming a reality.

Spatial storytelling on Apple Vision Pro

But back to Bono – Stories of Surrender: What began as a supplemental project evolved into something far more ambitious. Offer, a visual effects veteran with extensive music video experience, was initially tasked with creating immersive footage to complement the film “Bono: Stories of Surrender.” However, as tests proved successful, the scope expanded dramatically.

“It started as a smaller project, and then I started to have some ideas,” Offer explains. “We did some tests and everybody liked it. The producers, the execs at Apple, Bono got excited about this part, that part, and it slowly became this feature-length project.”

The final experience weaves together multiple storytelling approaches: traditional cinema sections, fully immersive on-stage experiences where viewers feel like they can touch Bono, and what Offer calls “Mix Media”—a revolutionary combination of movie screen with surrounding artwork and animation.

Technical innovation and spatial storytelling

Creating the first feature-length immersive film required solving unprecedented technical challenges. Working with early versions of specialized dual-fisheye cameras, the team had to reimagine fundamental filmmaking concepts. Even basic industry standards like title sizing needed complete reconceptualization for spatial media. The technology in these cameras eventually led to the creation of the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive Camera

“What does that even mean when you’re in an immersive space?” Offer asks about traditional sizing rules. “I can have the same amount of pixels, but very close to you and very small, or very far and feeling like the size of the Eiffel Tower.”

The medium exists “somewhere between traditional movie making and theater,” according to Offer. The key breakthrough was understanding that emotional effectiveness comes from making viewers feel like participants rather than observers. This required precise calibration of spatial relationships, particularly the intimate distance between camera and performer.

Unprecedented vulnerability

The ultra-high resolution and proximity of immersive media creates a level of vulnerability impossible in traditional cinema. Viewers can see surgical scars and imperfections with startling clarity, stripping away the protective distance that conventional films provide.

“When you make a regular movie, you’re always protected by that square,” Offer notes. “There is a vulnerability that is next level that this specific medium allows for.”

For Offer, working with Bono proved uniquely rewarding. “The guy gives notes in poetry,” Offer laughs, describing the authentic kindness that emanated from the rock icon throughout the collaboration.

Artistic innovation

One of the film’s most striking elements is elegant line art that appears to exist physically in space around Bono. Much derived from Bono’s own iPad drawings, these 2D artworks were transformed into three-dimensional experiences through careful attention to depth, lighting, and forced perspective effects.

The film explores deeply personal themes—Bono’s relationship with his late father and his spiritual struggles following heart surgery—creating an intimate portrait that benefits from the medium’s inherent closeness.

Future implications

The project’s success opens new possibilities for immersive storytelling. As tools like DaVinci Resolve develop native support and cameras become more accessible, Offer sees tremendous potential for emotional storytelling in spatial media.

“There’s elements to this medium that have not been used yet,” he explains. “There’s a place there to create an emotion when you feel like you’re in something—it’s just a different form of storytelling.”

By proving that immersive cinema can carry serious artistic weight, Offer and Bono have launched what may truly be, in Bono’s words, “a new art medium” entirely.

“Bono – Stories of Surrender” is available on Apple TV+ now through Apple Vision Pro.

What do you think about filmmaking for the Vision Pro and this production, and our interview? Let us know in the comments below.