APPLE IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY

Thé Fine Dining Bakery

Synopsis

Thé Fine Dining Bakery takes viewers inside the creative world of Master Pastry Chef Christopher Thé, creator of the Strawberry Watermelon Cake – highlighted in The New York Times and often described as “the most Instagrammed cake in the world”. Shot completely in Apple Immersive Video on the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive, the film follows Thé at Hearthe, his fine dining bakery in Sydney’s Inner West, where he reimagines classic desserts with native Australian ingredients.

Production Approach

As long-term creative collaborators, Clara Chong and Ben Allan ACS CSI approached the project as an intimate, human-centred documentary – designed to test how Apple Immersive Video could capture connection rather than spectacle. Rather than scripted emphasis, Thé’s own words shaped the narrative, creating intimacy and authenticity. The production also deliberately explored low-light conditions, small physical spaces, and a full on-camera interview to push the format beyond its usual subjects of extreme spectacle – sports or exotic landscapes.

Innovation & Craft

• Filmed with the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera, edited an graded in DaVinci Resolve Studio, and mixed in Fairlight for the Apple Spatial Audio format.

• Shot to highlight proximity and presence – including interviews filmed at 80cm, pushing Apple Immersive Video close proximity to an intimate threshold.

• Used iterative editing across four distinct cuts, previewed repeatedly in the Apple Vision Pro to balance pacing and audience comfort.

• Integrated ambisonic audio to capture the immersive 360° atmospheres of both kitchen and garden.

• Developed a custom LUT and scaling algorithm for a more filmic look, prioritising smoothness over video sharpness.

Impact & Recognition

• World-first achievement: Southern Hemisphere’s first independently produced Apple Immersive Video documentary.

• Validates the potential of Apple Immersive Video for intimate storytelling – beyond spectacle.

• Serves as a model for independent filmmakers to adopt Apple Immersive Video without the scale or resources of Apple-backed projects.

Credits

A Main Course Films production.

Writer/Director/Editor: Clara Chong • Producer/Cinematographer/Colorist: Ben Allan ACS CSI • Associate Producer: Lauren Clair • Assistant Camera: Thomas Ah Kuoi • Assistant Sound: Carlo Giacco