Please Dont Stop the Music

         Pitch Perfect is a musical comedy directed by Jason Moore and debuted in 2012. The opening

scene shoes a performance by the Treblemakers, an all-male a-cappella group singing at Lincoln

Center. The scene then cuts to the Barden Bella’s, an all-female a-cappella group preparing for

their performance. Once the Bella’s take the stage, they begin their performance. When Aubrey

begins her solo, she suddenly vomits all over the front row. This is the hook. This lets the viewers

know that this movie is going to follow the Barden Bella’s on their quest to win the Nationals at

Lincoln Center.

         Pitch Perfect follows the Barden Bella’s as they prepare to recruit new girls to join their

group.  Since Chloe and Aubrey are the only two Bella’s that did not graduate, it is their job to

construct a team that will help them when Nationals at Lincoln Center. Once recruiting is done,

they begin practicing and performance to get prepared for the competition. Their biggest

competition, the Treblemakers, do not make their quest for greatness easy. The Treblemakers

have won the championship every year for a very long time, thus they are fan and judge

favorites. This does not stop the Bella’s.

        Becca, played by Anna Kendrick, is the main character in the movie. She completely changes

the way the Bella’s do things. The Bella’s are known for preforming songs only made popular by

women. However, Becca knows they need to do things differently if they want to win. Becca, an

aspiring music producer, comes up with arrangements that are sure to help the Barden Bella’s

win. Once the Bella’s make it back to Lincoln City, they go on to win the National Championship.

         This movie opening adheres to many of the rules for a strong hook. First, the opening has

conflict (Weiland 339). The Treblemakers cause conflict for the Bella’s, and you see that in the first scene. Also, when Aubrey vomits, that lets the readers know there will be conflict with trying to salvage the Bella’s reputation. This movie also opens with characters, these characters being the members of the Treblemakers and the members of the Barden Bella’s (339).  The hook also establishes setting (339). The viewer understands that Lincoln Center is the ultimate goal, therefore, the movie is going to be about trying to get back to Lincoln Center. Lastly, the tone is set (339).  The viewer has an idea as to what type of movie this will be, without giving anything away.

          This movie also has elements of a riveting first line. It makes the viewers ask questions

(Weiland 340). The viewer wants to know what is going to happen, how it is going to happen,

and they want to watch it happen. The opening line of the movie is “Please don’t stop the

music” being sung by the Treblemakers. This opening line helps the viewer understand the

setting (340). As a viewer, they will understand that this is a musical comedy that will be about

winning at Lincoln Center. This movie also has a sweeping declaration (341). With Aubrey

vomiting during the Bella’s performance, it makes the viewer want to know what is going to

happen. It is not actual words, but it is definitely a first line a viewer will remember.

Pitch Perfect