Pitch Perfect: College girls’ march to the finals. Beca (Oscar and Tony-nominated actress Anna Kendrick of Up in the Air, ParaNorman) is that girl who’d rather listen to what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out of anyone’s mouth. Arriving at Barden University, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she would never have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy Pitch Perfect.
When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college music competitions. This could wind up either the coolest thing they’ll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.
Producing partners and husband-and-wife team Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman were given Mickey Rapkin’s book “Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory” by a friend who thought the story would be perfect for a movie adaptation. Banks and Handelman grew excited at the idea of bringing Rapkin’s story about the funny, eccentric and popular world of college a cappella to the big screen.
Explains Banks: “The book reminded us of our favorite films like Superbad, Mean Girls and Bring It On, which always include quirky people in a subset of a larger social system. We thought it would be fun to explore people who get really obsessed about something and translate that into a very broad comedy that plays to a wide audience.”
“It’s rare that we’ve been able to work on something together,” adds Handelman. ” Pitch Perfect is a project we’ve been working on for three years and is the second film our company produced after Disney’s Surrogates. Elizabeth and I are a good team, and we complement each other. She has a tremendous amount of experience with different directors and actors and is a true asset to the film.”
The book follows a season of college music competition and focuses on three groups, including a new all-female group trying to overcome a loss at the previous ICCAs. “It’s the story of these girls’ march to the finals,” explains Handelman, “and our story starts with our girl group, The Bellas, who meets with an untimely disaster during the ICCAs. The film starts the following year with them needing to recruit a new batch of girls.
Their group has been decimated. They’ve all either graduated or left because they were so embarrassed, and they have to rebuild a new group, which includes this Bad News Bears collection of girls. Once they form The Bellas, they have to compete with the popular guys’ group, The Treblemakers, who won the championship the previous year. The focus is The Bellas’ pursuit for the chance to get back in the finals and their rivalry with the guys.”
Banks and Handelman commissioned writer Kay Cannon, an Emmy-nominated writer and producer on NBC’s award-winning show 30 Rock and co- executive producer and writer on FOX’s New Girl, to pen the treatment and pitched the story to studios. After Universal Pictures acquired Cannon’s script, it was sent to producer Paul Brooks, head of Gold Circle Films, who further developed and prepared it for the start of principal photography.
Brooks, who has worked with Universal on films including the cult classic Slither, the comedies Because I Said So and The Wedding Date and the thriller White Noise, was excited to develop another project with the studio. “I thought the script was a fantastic piece of material,” says Brooks. “It had that rare combination of great heart and great humor. It was funny, and I thought the landscape was original and felt incredibly accessible and relatable. The film is about relationships, kids starting the next big step in their lives at college, and it’s got great songs in it. I’d known Elizabeth as an actress because I’d produced Slither. She’s got great instincts, as does Max.”
While searching for a director for their comedy, Banks and Handelman looked for a filmmaker who could tackle the many elements that the script demanded, including the quirky comedic tone, musical numbers and choreography. They sat down with Jason Moore, whose work on the hit Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q exemplified what they wanted for Pitch Perfect.
“When Max and I first started looking for a director for this film, we knew we had a very tricky situation on our hands because there’s a lot of music elements here,” says Banks. “It’s a very theatrical picture. It’s also a very funny movie, and we wanted to make sure that we sold the comedy first. The writing has a specific tone that we were trying to achieve, and the right person to tackle it was Jason.”
“This had to be a film that didn’t explicitly make fun of a cappella but also didn’t take it too seriously,” adds Handelman. “If you’ve seen Avenue Q, you understand that tone that Jason gets so perfectly, and then you layer on top of that his expertise within musical arrangement, choreography and putting together a massive musical endeavor. If we’d had almost anyone else other than Jason, we would never have gotten the music and the comedy right.”
In 2003, the coming-of-age parable Avenue Q opened on Broadway and went on to win three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The comedy musical, created by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx—who also wrote the music and lyrics—was written by Jeff Whitty and directed by Moore. Seamlessly weaving together performers, puppets, live stage action, singing and animation, Moore helped launch Avenue Q into one the longest-running shows in Broadway history. Since its debut, the critically acclaimed show has been produced in Las Vegas and on the West End, has had two national tours and has been produced internationally.
Brooks and Moore discussed the director’s passion for the comedy and his ability to mix genres. “I knew of Jason’s Broadway work,” says the producer. “I thought he had a complete take on the script, and he clearly knows the world of musical theater. I was confident that he knew exactly what to do from a pure performance perspective, and he understands the architecture of the musical world in a very specific way.”
Moore was a fan of Kay Cannon’s from her work on 30 Rock, and he was drawn to the script right away. He reflects: “Kay has such a specific voice, and she has a great way with wit and language and creating characters. I had never experienced this part of the music world before, and it’s a huge underground world of people who love music and getting on stage and having a good time. She captured this world in such a special and funny way that it caught my attention immediately.”
With a script and director in place, the filmmakers looked to cast the perfect band of misfits to sing, dance and perform in the oddly fascinating world of competitive college music competitions.
Marshal the Crazy: Casting the Comedy
Cast as Beca, an incoming freshman and a young woman allergic to joining any student activities group, was Academy Award- and Tony Award-nominated actress Anna Kendrick. Though her character starts off as a bit of a loner, Beca’s innovative deejay skills and ability to “mash” traditional and modern music make The Bellas believe they might have a shot as they pursue a championship title.
“Beca is the eyes and ears of the audience,” explains Moore. “She considers herself a serious musician and doesn’t want to be a part of this weird world. Anna Kendrick brings real warmth to a character that might be considered an outsider. She gives the movie a strong center.”
When it came to casting Jesse, a college freshman and naturally talented singer who joins The Treblemakers and chases after Beca, the filmmakers thought they might have a slightly harder time than casting the other characters. Explains Handelman: “We were looking for a young John Cusack-type guy. We needed to find someone who was kind of awkward but not a geek, but not so cool that you’re not rooting for him.” The filmmakers discovered their guy in Skylar Astin.
Says Banks of Astin’s audition: “When Skylar and Anna read together before we started shooting, the chemistry was clear and they were able to riff off each other. We wanted their dialogue to go fast, and we wanted them to be two intellectuals and two wits that went head-to-head.”
Astin was ready to tackle a movie filled with musical elements. “I come from theater, so in a lot of ways this has been a perfect blend for me. I was up to the challenge. Anna adds this intellectual spirit, which is fun because my character has to break down her character’s wall.”
Of her co-star, Kendrick comments: “Skylar is so witty and sharp, and he’s charming when he sings. In the riff-off scene, when we’re in the pool, it was cold and we were all tired. Every time he came into the middle and did his solo, it brightened us up.”
For the role of Fat Amy, the irrepressible Aussie who’s sure she’s a star, the filmmakers went after comedic actress Rebel Wilson, who nearly stole her scenes in 2011’s comedic blockbuster Bridesmaids. Not your typical member of The Bellas, Fat Amy coined her own nickname so that “twig bitches like you don’t do it behind my back.” While she hates participating in cardio activities, Fat Amy puts on a mean singing performance. Says Handelman: “Rebel is someone that we knew could be counted on to improv and come up with all sorts of crazy, hilarious lines.”
Moore recalls Wilson’s audition: “Rebel came in to audition for Fat Amy, and she sang Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory’ while beating on her chest with her fists. I didn’t even hear the end of the song because I was laughing so hard. There’s this beautiful openness to the way Rebel approaches everything, and that’s what works great for the character. She’s fearless.
“She originally auditioned with an American accent,” continues the director. “But Rebel has such a command of the comedy and her own vernacular that her natural accent made her character feel more like an outsider, which is good for the story.”
Of her character, Wilson jokes: “Fat Amy really likes The Bellas because they’re going to be a vehicle for her to show her talents, to show how good she is at singing, and how good she is at doing the half splits. She’s going to use this experience in The Bellas to then go to Broadway… or top-level pageants. I’m talking Miss America, Miss World, Miss Outer Space.”
Up-and-coming actor Adam DeVine, star of Comedy Central’s Workaholics, was cast as Bumper, the lead soloist of the all-male group The Treblemakers, whose showboating redefines modern a cappella. The ladies can’t get enough of him, and Bumper helped lead The Treblemakers to last year’s ICCAs. Says Banks: “My husband and I are big Workaholics fans. We were watching the show one night while we were casting the movie, and we immediately thought Adam would be great for Bumper. At first, Adam resisted because he said he wasn’t a singer. Sure enough, at his audition, he took himself and all of us by surprise with his vocal skills. He even sings on the track that opens our movie.”
DeVine discusses his character: “Bumper is a stone- cold maniac. He’s serious about a cappella to the point that it’s weird. The Treblemakers rule the school… minus all the popular kids and the jocks and the cool kids and the kids that like to surf and the kids that smoke. Basically, everyone else is cooler than them, but as far as the 30 people that are into a cappella at the school, they’re the best.”
The role of The Bellas’ exceptionally focused music director and demonic possessor of the pitch pipe, Aubrey, is played by Anna Camp, recently seen on CBS’ The Good Wife and HBO’s True Blood. Aubrey is a bundle of nerves, and her stomach issues (and boring choice of music) torpedoed The Bellas’ placement in last year’s ICCAs. Explains Handelman: “Elizabeth and I were huge fans of Anna’s from True Blood. Aubrey is set up as the antagonist for Beca, and Beca’s already a bit hard-edged, so it was so important to find an actress who could play Aubrey as someone who could marshal the crazy but also was sympathetic.”
Camp describes her character: “Some would say that Aubrey is a little uptight. She likes to keep things in order, she has her own way of doing things and she wants to uphold tradition. She’s steadfast in her opinions and very passionate about vocal music. Aubrey and Beca don’t get along right away, and she sees Beca as rebelling against what Aubrey considers is the traditional way of doing things. Our characters butt heads instantly.”
Cast in the role of Chloe, a member of The Bellas who is eager to regroup the team with pretty much any woman who can sing, was Brittany Snow, whose past singing-on-film experience includes the hit Hairspray. “Brittany was on the short list to play Chloe all along and nailed her audition,” says Banks. “We wanted Chloe to have a cheerleader essence but also have a little edge to her.”
Snow recalls that the comedy was an easy one to join: “I remember putting the script down and saying that I have to be in this movie and will play any character. I didn’t care if I had two lines. It was such a unique story about these girls and how their differences unite them. Coming from a singing and dancing background, I thought it would be great to be a part of something where I get to do all three of my favorite things.”
The rest of The Bellas include up-and-coming young actresses Alexis Knapp as Stacie, a sexy new member of the group whose hobbies include cuticle care; Hana Mae Lee as Lilly, a shy new member with an almost inaudible speaking voice (it’s possible she just whispered something about seeing a dead body) and surprising beat-boxing skills; and singer/songwriter Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose, a tough chick who is accidentally mistaken for a boy during the auditions.
Though she is new to acting, the filmmakers felt Dean’s music background lent authenticity to the musical comedy. “Ester is an incredible songwriter,” comments Moore. “She’s written hit songs for Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, and she’s an incredible performer in her own right. I wanted to make sure that we had some authentic musicianship in the movie.”
Rounding out the cast as the ICCA commentators are comedic actor John Michael Higgins, known to audiences for his roles in Christopher Guest’s films Best in Show and For Your Consideration, and actress/producer Elizabeth Banks, recently seen in the blockbuster The Hunger Games.
As Pitch Perfect was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with locations including Louisiana State Uni versity, the filmmakers helped complete their cast with local students, including many extras from Tulane University.
Related Link: View the Full Production Notes for Pitch Perfect
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