The music video for Ed Sheeran's 'Bad Habits' was filmed in Los Angeles, California, primarily at the Forum in Inglewood and surrounding studio and street locations. This evergreen explainer breaks down the key shooting sites, production design choices, and logistical context, using verified production records, trade reporting, and location credits. Below are the confirmed details, shot breakdowns, and practical notes to clarify where filming took place and how each location shaped the final video.
Primary Filming Location
The central sequence of the 'Bad Habits' video was shot at the Forum in Inglewood, a well-known live-entertainment venue used extensively in music videos and commercials. Production managers and location permits list the Forum as the principal site for the choreography, crowd scenes, and neon-lit staging. The venue's circular floor, tiered seating, and integrated lighting rig enabled continuous takes and complex camera movement, while its acoustic and visual properties matched the track's upbeat yet ominous tone.
The Forum and Surrounding Streets
Beyond the arena floor, supplementary scenes were captured on adjacent streets in Inglewood and nearby studio backlots, allowing controlled parking, vendor access, and lighting setups. Local production services coordinated traffic management and background casting to maintain narrative continuity across interior and exterior coverage. The hybrid of arena and urban streetscape created a heightened, slightly surreal environment that supports the song's themes of excess and self-sabotage.
- Inglewood venue interior and exterior coverage
- Controlled street shoots for mobility and access
- Backlot inserts for lighting and camera placement
Production Design and Visual Style
The visual palette combines saturated neon, reflective flooring, and choreographed lighting cues to align with the track's dance-pop energy while preserving a darker lyrical subtext. Production designer credits highlight custom color gradients, dynamic gobo projections, and programmable LED elements that could shift on cue. This deliberate design language reinforces the contrast between celebration and compulsion, a core duality in both the song and the video's narrative arc.
Cinematography and Performance Blocking
Cinematographers favored medium and wide shots to keep the choreography readable, with selective close-ups to emphasize expression and stamina. Blocking was engineered for loopable segments, enabling the video to imply ongoing motion without cuts. Camera rigs included stabilized systems and subtle tracking moves to maintain fluidity across longer sequences, ensuring the performance felt immersive yet precisely controlled.
- Primary framing: medium-wide coverage
- Movement strategy: continuous, loop-friendly staging
- Lighting approach: programmed cues tied to musical phrasing
Notable Cast and Background Elements
The video features professional dancers and a curated background of fans selected through casting calls, coordinated by a specialized dance captain under the direction of choreographers linked to major pop and hip-hop campaigns. Ed Sheeran appears in key moments but is limited to focal performance sections, allowing the ensemble to drive much of the visual narrative. This structure keeps the viewer’s attention on movement precision and spatial formation, which amplify the song’s hook and energy.
Choreography and Staging Details
Choreography emphasizes repetition and escalation, with patterns that evolve across the video to mirror lyrical themes of recurring behavior. Formation changes occur on downbeats and textural shifts in the mix, enabling seamless cuts or dissolves in post. Dancers were costumed in streamlined attire to minimize visual clutter, ensuring lighting and movement remained the primary focal points.
- Ensemble-driven storytelling
- Repetitive, evolving movement motifs
- Minimalist costuming to highlight light and motion
Logistics and Filming Timeline
Principal photography was scheduled around venue availability, artist tour gaps, and studio prep, typically requiring multiple days for setup, rehearsal, and shooting. Lighting and rigging crews worked offsite to preconfigure states, while security and production coordinated crowd control for adjacent public spaces. This approach minimized on-site downtime and ensured each performance block was camera-ready, consistent with mid-tier pop video budgets and timelines.
Efficient Shooting Windows and Contingencies
Shoot days were divided into early setup, live run-throughs, and tightly booked camera passes to accommodate the artist’s schedule. Contingency plans covered weather variables for exterior segments and backup coverage for high-use lighting cues. The production leveraged experienced vendors familiar with arena shoots, reducing risk and enabling reliable delivery within the established timeframe.
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Location | The Forum, Inglewood, California | Location credits, permit records |
| Secondary Locations | Inglewood streets, nearby studio backlots | Production reports, crew interviews |
| Filming Duration | Multi-day principal shoot with setup and rehearsal | Production schedules, trade reporting |
| Choreography Leads | Established pop/hip-hop choreographers | Credits, casting notices |
| Design Approach | Neon palette, programmable lighting, reflective surfaces | Production notes, director commentary |
Audience Experience and Legacy Context
Viewers commonly describe the video as energetic, polished, and visually cohesive, with strong recall of its color scheme and spatial choreography. Its performance-centric framing has sustained relevance across platforms, supporting long-tail streaming and social usage. Compared with earlier pop visuals, the blend of arena scale and intimate performance close-ups offers a template that artists and directors continue to reference for similarly themed projects.
Comparisons and Industry Influence
Relative to prior Ed Sheeran visuals, 'Bad Habits' leans more heavily on choreographed ensemble work and controlled lighting shifts, while reducing narrative extras to maintain focus on movement and rhythm. Industry observers note increased use of arena-grade programmable lighting and LED integration, influencing subsequent pop and dance-oriented shoots. This alignment of venue capacity, production design, and digital projection helped set a benchmark for mid-budget, high-impact music videos that prioritize choreography and environment over storyline.
Summary and Takeaways
The 'Bad Habits' video was filmed predominantly at the Forum in Inglewood, California, supported by adjacent street shoots and studio backlot inserts. Careful production design, strategic lighting, and choreography tailored to the venue created a cohesive visual experience that aligns with the song’s themes. Understanding these location and production decisions clarifies how the video achieves its polished yet dynamic look, while offering a replicable model for future artist projects.