How many different HAL 9000 faceplates are there in "2001: A Space Odyssey"?

[Markus]

This is not a build thread - but maybe the first step towards one...
Previously, I built two HAL 9000 replicas, and now I am thinking of starting a third one. But I wanted more than just the usual face plate. So, I was wondering what do we actually see in the movie? How many different HAL face plates are there in the spaceship?
And this is what I found. Please let me know if I missed one (or two...).
A slightly extended version of this is also posted on my blog.

#1 At the main console

#2 In the rotating corridor

#3 In the Pod Bay room

#4 In a Room with View of the Outside

#5 In a Room, next to the Pod Bay Room

#6 At the Entrance of the Logic Memory Center

#7 In the Logic Memory Center

Two more eyes?
I think that I found all the different faceplates, but there seem to be two more occurrences of HAL's eye.
In one case, I am not completely sure: Is there a HAL eye at the bottom of the Pod?

In the other case, it seems that there is an eye that is, however, not seen in the movie. We only see HAL's view through this eye. When Dave enters the Logic Memory Center, we see the following image:

Obviously, this is HAL watching Dave through his eye. But the eye #7 in the Logic Memory Center is seen at the bottom (next to the bright white memory modules). So this must be another eye in the memory center. However, this is not seen in any other scene.

 

[robn1]

In the other case, it seems that there is an eye that is, however, not seen in the movie. We only see HAL's view through this eye. When Dave enters the Logic Memory Center, we see the following image:

Obviously, this is HAL watching Dave through his eye.

This is a reflection in the eye/lens, not a view through it.

 

[wannab]

Assuming its the surrounding area you are trying to decide on? If so it seems the pod bay and the corridor are the most compact for display. I think the brain room would be the most interesting and interactive, with the key, moving memory blocks and the conversation. The most impactful and familiar would likely be with the eight surrounding displays.

 

[Markus]

This is a reflection in the eye/lens, not a view through it.

I agree, it is more likely a reflection. But the point is still that this must be an additional, second eye in the Logic Memory Center. Faceplate #6 is on the outside, and faceplate #7 is seen at the bottom of this image. Since the entrance is right in the middle in this picture, this means that this eye is on the wall, opposite to the entrance. But (as far as I can tell) there is no other camera view in which this is seen in the movie.

 

[wannab]

The entrance appears in the middle of the shot, but HAL is offset - just follow the panel separation lines from the entrance - not that it matters since there isn't an opposing shot. There must have been more than one HAL plate in the brain room intended if not shown.

Here are a couple of cool pics...

 

[wannab]

You could always do a "wide mouth bass" version of HAL. lol

 

[robn1]

Yeah there's at least two eyes in the brain room, but the second is only seen in the close up reflection shot. It has to be on the back wall in this shot, just behind Bowman.

 

[wannab]

Yep.

 

[Markus]

The entrance appears in the middle of the shot, but HAL is offset - just follow the panel separation lines from the entrance - not that it matters since there isn't an opposing shot. There must have been more than one HAL plate in the brain room intended if not shown.

Here are a couple of cool pics...
...

View attachment 1341233

Your last image has the same perspective as my "reflection" image, except that it's upside down. So, the additional eye must be right behind the camera.

 

[wannab]

This is not a build thread - but maybe the first step towards one...
Previously, I built two HAL 9000 replicas, and now I am thinking of starting a third one. But I wanted more than just the usual face plate. So, I was wondering what do we actually see in the movie? How many different HAL face plates are there in the spaceship?
And this is what I found. Please let me know if I missed one (or two...).
A slightly extended version of this is also posted on my blog.

#1 At the main console
View attachment 1341095

#2 In the rotating corridor
View attachment 1341096

#3 In the Pod Bay room
View attachment 1341097

#4 In a Room with View of the Outside
View attachment 1341098
View attachment 1341099

#5 In a Room, next to the Pod Bay Room
View attachment 1341100

#6 At the Entrance of the Logic Memory Center
View attachment 1341102

#7 In the Logic Memory Center
View attachment 1341103

Two more eyes?
I think that I found all the different faceplates, but there seem to be two more occurrences of HAL's eye.
In one case, I am not completely sure: Is there a HAL eye at the bottom of the Pod?
View attachment 1341105

In the other case, it seems that there is an eye that is, however, not seen in the movie. We only see HAL's view through this eye. When Dave enters the Logic Memory Center, we see the following image:
View attachment 1341107
Obviously, this is HAL watching Dave through his eye. But the eye #7 in the Logic Memory Center is seen at the bottom (next to the bright white memory modules). So this must be another eye in the memory center. However, this is not seen in any other scene.

I didn't pay attention before but in this shot the HAL plate is below Dave.

 

[wannab]

Orientation of the camera in the brainroom scene always confused me. Shooting up, shooting down, shooting sideways with the camera rotated 90 degrees? No visible wires that I can see so likely shooting up?

 

[Markus]

I didn't pay attention before but in this shot the HAL plate is below Dave.
View attachment 1341246

That was exactly my point why I concluded that there are two eyes in this room.

 

[Markus]

Assuming its the surrounding area you are trying to decide on? If so it seems the pod bay and the corridor are the most compact for display. I think the brain room would be the most interesting and interactive, with the key, moving memory blocks and the conversation. The most impactful and familiar would likely be with the eight surrounding displays.

A perfect analysis! I agree.
Except for the one at the brain room entrance (#6), the one in the corridor (#2) is easiest to build. I would probably add the white panel with the slits on both sides. This would make it a real step up as compared to a faceplate-only replica.
The next one would be the one in the Pod Bay room (#3). This one has a monitor that could be operated by a Raspberry Pi to display the famous HAL screens. It's a big step up as compared to #6, but still rather compact.
From there on, the projects would become really big. All of #5 (with six screens) or #4 or #1 (with eight screens each) would occupy plenty of space, and lots of electronics. Model 4 of the Raspberry Pi can address two monitors. But, still, buying four Raspberry Pis plus eight monitors is a significant cost factor. But the killer would still be the amount of space required...
What I find incredibly attractive, is the idea to build the one in the brain room with the 19x2 acrylic blocks that can be made to move in/out. But that would also become rather expensive (I'm thinking of 38 motors or servos) and still quite large.
I still have one and a half projects on my list before I will attempt this. But it's never too early to start the planning (it's actually the phase that I love most). Thanks for your input!

 

[wannab]

Mini hydraulics for the win!

 

[David3]

Wonder how Kubrick got that HAL's eye reflection without the camera in shot as well (?)
Here's the opposite wall and where HAL's eye should be (yellow circle) I rotated the picture 180deg. so the brain room's orientated the same way as in the reflection.

 

[joberg]

Interesting topic to say the least

 

[Jive Turkey]

Wonder how Kubrick got that HAL's eye reflection without the camera in shot as well (?)
Here's the opposite wall and where HAL's eye should be (yellow circle) I rotated the picture 180deg. so the brain room's orientated the same way as in the reflection.
View attachment 1341319

I assume it's just a double exposure. There's no distortion in any of the lines reflected in Hal's lens, so it's not a true reflection

 

[BuzzCrush]

Orientation of the camera in the brainroom scene always confused me. Shooting up, shooting down, shooting sideways with the camera rotated 90 degrees? No visible wires that I can see so likely shooting up?

Yes, shooting up. Actors being suspended by wires and shooting up gives a weightlessness effect.

 

[3Dsf]

You could always do a "wide mouth bass" version of HAL. lol

View attachment 1341234

This photo is often mentioned as being a possible HAL, but after some consideration I don't think it was.

This was one of the workstations within the centrifuge. It was actually a comms station - it was like an enhanced version of the Picturephone seen aboard Space Station V. This is clear because in the corner there's the old (pre Saul Bass) Bell Systems logo. The top panel has a bunch of Nixie tube clocks displaying universal time, light distance to the earth, and elapsed mission time.

The panels below seem to be for storing and recording messages (since obviously they're not realtime video calls, but like video voicemail because of the light delay), and adjusting the receiver/broadcast antenna.

Given all that, I think it's logical to assume they would have had a video camera here for placing calls - maybe an adjustable one for height, the way the Space Station V one appears to be. There's nowhere to put a camera on this panel except on the faceplate next to the screen. For whatever reason they hadn't installed a camera prop at this point, but that's what I believe that faceplate was for. Note also that although everything is labelled up by this point, there's no HAL logo on the faceplate.

One other difference is that the empty HAL socket seen in the centrifuge set (a photo where Kubrick is taking a continuity Polaroid) has a specific internal design to accommodate the Nikon lens. This panel, by contrast does not.

So that's my take on this - this wasn't a HAL faceplate. In the end, however, only the edge of this particular workstation panel is visible in the finished movie, so we really don't know!

 

[3Dsf]

A corollary of this last point is that every single HAL faceplate seen in the film, and in behind the scenes photos, has exactly the same proportions. None of the faceplates has the proportions of the plate now owned by director Peter Jackson.