Ok- I know this may sound like nit-picking- but for some reason I can't get it out of my head.
THIS scene in 2001- where an astronaut's pen floats in zero gravity.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZkxF0Ap.jpeg) (http://"https://lunapic.com")
OK. What's wring with that?
I'll tell you- look at that guys hair. Is it shellacked to his head? Why isn't his hair floating? You would think Kubrick would notice something obvious like that if my burnt out old ass did?
I asked AI about this:
Practical Limitations (1967): At the time of filming, there was no technology available to make hair consistently float in a realistic, natural way for a feature film.
Intentional Design (The "Hat" Strategy): To avoid the issue of static-looking, unmoved hair in scenes meant to be zero-gravity, Kubrick intentionally designed the flight attendant uniforms with hats or head coverings, notes for which suggested they served as "hair management" to prevent hair from floating around the face.
"Perfected" Practical Effects: Instead of trying to simulate floating hair, the production focused on perfecting the floating object effect, such as the famous scene where a pen (and later a stylus) floats through the Orion cabin, which was achieved by taping it to a rotating sheet of glass.
Other Solutions: In scenes with male actors, shorter hair styles or the use of hair spray were likely used to keep hair from moving, as creating realistic, weightless, long hair was not feasible at the time.
While other objects (pens, food trays) were made to float, the hair of the characters remained largely fixed, a practical decision that actually helped the film maintain its clean, ordered aesthetic.