Stories of Surrender: Elevated Immersion

Apple has released its highly anticipated feature film documentary event Bono: Stories of Surrender, the company’s first dual-format feature film release, available both in a traditional 2D presentation and Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro on Apple TV+.

Warmly received earlier this month following its traditional format world premiere at The Festival de Cannes, the Andrew Dominik-directed feature serves as a screen adaptation of the U2 frontman’s live stage show, “Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music, and Some Mischief.” The 1-hour 25-minute film was recorded in 2023 at New York’s Beacon Theatre and presents fans with an intimate show featuring Bono’s most personal anecdotes exploring his early life, musical breakthrough, charity work for poverty and famine relief, family, and faith, interspersing them with a selection of stripped-down musical performances charting some of U2’s greatest hits.

The release marks the latest entry in a storied collaborative history between Apple and Bono through art, technology, commerce, and philanthropy that began with an early public endorsement of Apple’s then-newly launched iTunes Music Store. The relationship then continued with Bono’s close relationship with late Apple founder Steve Jobs, leading to 2004’s limited-edition black and red iPod and, shortly afterward, a philanthropic (PRODUCT) RED partnership aimed at raising aid and awareness for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

As told in a 2022 piece for the Guardian, the next collaboration – now infamous – resulted in U2’s 2014 album Songs of Innocence being purchased by Apple and then gifted to its users. It was the result of a pitch by the band, with Bono recounting his conversation with Tim Cook:

Tim Cook raised an eyebrow. “You mean we pay for the album and then just distribute it?”

I said, “Yeah, like when Netflix buys the movie and gives it away to subscribers.”

Tim looked at me as if I was explaining the alphabet to an English professor. “But we’re not a subscription organisation.”

“Not yet,” I said. “Let ours be the first.”

Fast forward another decade, and Apple’s own streaming service is now host to a 90-minute feature film celebrating its longtime collaborator. Brilliantly captured in black and white by famed Academy Award-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, the project’s creative team credentials were never in doubt. Instead, ahead of today’s Apple Immersive Video world premiere on Apple Vision Pro, valid questions remained regarding the nature of the film’s dual-format release.

The longest Apple Immersive Video experience available up to this point was the surprise March release of Metallica: Immersive, a 25-minute concert experience that remains a personal immersive video favorite (only seconded by this year’s earlier immersive bull-riding release Man vs Beast). But even for an Apple Vision Pro and film enthusiast, the thought of a one-hour jump up from my previous experience left me feeling apprehensive. Up until now, Apple Immersive Video presentations had stuck to a rigid, uninterrupted 180-degree video experience, so how could both formats coexist?

The answer is a simple one: from the project’s conception, it was decided that in order to share his story in two unique ways, Bono and his creative team would essentially make the film twice – once in 2D, and again in Apple Immersive Video – keeping the structure of the traditional presentation intact while adding additional pizzazz to its immersive counterpart.

To achieve that goal, Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive) builds off of the now-established Apple Vision Pro movie theater experience for traditional video formats by filling the viewer’s field of view, immersing them fully in the 2D footage, and then intercutting it with Apple Immersive 8K, 180-degree video footage. In addition, to tie the film in with his 2022 autobiography, Bono recreated the book’s illustrations using ProCreate for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro, which were later animated by New York-based VFX house The-Artery and weaved into the footage, adding a playful flair to proceedings.

With all the elements intact, the result can be best described as a boundary-pushing mix of 2D and 3D, with the transitions between the film’s formats comparable to the way a typical IMAX theatrical presentation cuts between the film’s letterboxed aspect ratio and the format’s jaw-dropping ratio of 1:43:1.

While Apple has yet to offer true IMAX-enhanced presentations in the Apple TV app on Apple Vision Pro through its studio partners, the creative team behind Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive) has essentially skipped a step by showing off another use case for Apple Immersive Video, one with the potential to elevate new creations from indie filmmakers who have limited access to immersive cameras and established studios looking to add some flair to their fan-favorite films and properties.

As someone who respects Bono as a humanitarian and showman but doesn’t count himself a fan of U2 beyond their 1991 LP Achtung Baby, I wasn’t expecting the film to resonate emotionally with me as much as it did. In an era where we’re often overexposed to celebrity culture while being offered little to no substance in return, Bono’s one-man show is a surprising departure from that trend. Andrew Dominik’s film is a fascinating, unflinchingly honest exploration of a 20th-century cultural icon and the personal and professional experiences that molded such a sincere, complex, and thoughtful soul.

From a technical perspective, Bono: Stories of Surrender surprised me on multiple levels. It confirms that, yes, Apple Immersive Video done correctly can be sustained over the course of an average feature-length runtime – though I’d need convincing that the format could work for a three-hour magnum opus from Martin Scorsese. It also proves beyond concept that there’s more to Apple Immersive Video than was first explored, and that we’re approaching a future where film favorites could potentially expand beyond the confines of the celluloid they were filmed on and into our environments.

Bono: Stories of Surrender is now streaming on Apple TV+ across all of your screens, and Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive) is available exclusively on Apple Vision Pro. A first look at the film is also now available as part of Apple Vision Pro demos at Apple Stores worldwide (where Apple Vision Pro and Apple TV+ are available).

For more discussion on the film, its themes, and its format, check out the latest episode of Magic Rays of Light, a podcast all about the world of Apple TV that I host every week here at MacStories.