Shooting indoors
2001: A Space Odyssey was shot almost entirely inside Shepperton Studios and MGM-British Studios, where enormous sets were constructed to bring deep space to life.
The most spectacular was the 30-ton rotating Ferris wheel set used to simulate artificial gravity aboard the Discovery One, designed and built by aircraft engineers.
Even the monolith was crafted from wood and a special graphite-paint mixture to achieve its perfect, mirror-black surface.
Only one exterior shot exists, that being Dan Richter’s “Moon-Watcher” throwing a bone into the air, which was filmed on a raised platform outside the studio to create the legendary jump-cut to the orbiting spacecraft.
