Everyone warned Elizabeth Banks against filming the outdoor concert finale for “Pitch Perfect 2.” It was June in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was scorching hot, it was hurricane season, and they would have to build a full, functioning stage and recruit a small town of extras to make it believable. But Banks knew what she wanted. “I kept saying, ‘I don’t care, it’s going to look cool, we’ve got to do it’,” said the actress, producer, and now, feature director. The massive undertaking required four all-night shoots, multiple cameras, elaborate performances and a tolerance for mysterious bug bites. Banks even took responsibility for the crowd’s waning energy. “At one point, she went out on stage and started whipping them into a frenzy,” said Banks’ husband and producing partner, Max Handelman. But the crowd really lost it when she brought a few Bellas out, too.
