ACTF

Lesson 1: The Writers' Room

Learning Intentions   

  • Identify the role of a script producer and writers’ room processes. 
  • Reauthor an overview of a television synopsis using credible sources and quotes.  
  • Identify reliable sources to reference in a written document. 

Watch

Review the opening titles for The PM’s Daughter Series 2 and meet the script producer, Jessica Paine.  

What is the role of the Script Producer? 

The script producer is the leader of the writers’ room. Each member of the writers’ room brings story ideas, representing their perspectives and lived experiences in the script development process. This collaborative way of working enables the team to find the ‘best ideas’ by working together. The aim is to produce a television series that is relevant and entertaining. 

Review

Read the following roles and steps to learn about the process of creating a script:  

The PMs Daughter Series 2

Review the following video to hear how Jessica Paine describes the second series. Focus on how the characters engage with and react to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology. 

Activity

Using the Jessica Paine interview video and transcript, the Series 2 overview on the Australian Children’s Television Foundation website and other credible sources, reword a 100–200-word overview of Series 2.  

Australian Curriculum Links

Civics and Citizenship  
 
Year 8 
Years 9  
Years 10 
Analysis, evaluation and interpretation 
 
AC9HC8S02 
Locate,‚ÄØselect and organise‚ÄØinformation,‚ÄØdata‚ÄØand ideas from different sources.
 
AC9HC9S02 
Locate, select and compare information,‚ÄØdata‚ÄØand ideas‚ÄØfrom a range of sources. 
 
AC9HC10S03 
Analyse information,‚ÄØdata‚ÄØand ideas about political, legal or civic issues to identify and evaluate differences in perspectives and interpretations.
 
 English 
 
Year 8 
Year 9 
Year 10 
Language | 
Language for interacting with others 
AC9E8LA01 
Recognise how language shapes relationships and roles.
 
AC9E9LA01 
Recognise how language empowers relationships and roles.
 
AC9E10LA01 
Understand how language can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people.
 
Language | 
Text structure and organisation 
AC9E8LA03 
Explain how‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØare structured depending on their‚ÄØpurpose‚ÄØand how‚ÄØlanguage features vary, recognising that some‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØare hybrids that combine different‚ÄØgenres‚ÄØor elements of different‚ÄØgenres.

AC9E8LA08 
Identify and use vocabulary typical of‚ÄØacademic texts.
AC9E9LA03 
Examine how‚ÄØauthors‚ÄØadapt and subvert‚ÄØtext structures‚ÄØand‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØby experimenting with spoken, written, visual and‚ÄØmultimodal‚ÄØelements, and their combination.

AC9E9LA08 
Analyse how vocabulary choices contribute to‚ÄØstyle, mood and‚ÄØtone.
AC9E10LA03 
Analyse‚ÄØtext structures‚ÄØand‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØand evaluate their effectiveness in achieving their‚ÄØpurpose.

AC9E10LA08 
Use an expanded technical and academic vocabulary for precision when writing‚ÄØacademic texts.
Literature | Engaging with and responding to literature 
 
AC9E9LE02 
Share opinions about the‚ÄØlanguage features,‚ÄØliterary devices‚ÄØand‚ÄØtext structures‚ÄØthat contribute to the‚ÄØstyles‚ÄØof‚ÄØliterary texts.
 
AC9E9LE02 
Present a personal response to a‚ÄØliterary text comparing initial impressions and subsequent analysis of the whole‚ÄØtext.
 
AC9E10LE03 
Analyse how the‚ÄØaesthetic‚ÄØqualities associated with‚ÄØtext structures,‚ÄØlanguage features,‚ÄØliterary devices‚ÄØand‚ÄØvisual features, and the‚ÄØcontext‚ÄØin which these‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØare experienced, influence‚ÄØaudience‚ÄØresponse.
 
Literature | Examining literature 
 
AC9E8LE05 
Analyse how‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØsuch as‚ÄØsentence‚ÄØpatterns‚ÄØcreate‚ÄØtone, and‚ÄØliterary devices‚ÄØsuch as‚ÄØimagery‚ÄØcreate meaning and effect. 
 
AC9E9LE04 
Analyse‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØand evaluate the‚ÄØaesthetic qualities and appeal of an‚ÄØauthor’s literary‚ÄØstyle.
 
AC9E10LE05 
Analyse how‚ÄØtext structure,‚ÄØlanguage features,‚ÄØliterary devices‚ÄØand intertextual connections shape interpretations of‚ÄØtexts.
 
Literature | Creating literature 
 
AC9E8LE06 
Create‚ÄØand‚ÄØedit‚ÄØliterary texts‚ÄØthat‚ÄØexperiment with‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØand‚ÄØliterary devices for particular‚ÄØpurposes‚ÄØand effects.
 
AC9E9LE06 
Create‚ÄØand‚ÄØedit‚ÄØliterary texts, that may be a hybrid, that‚ÄØexperiment‚ÄØwith‚ÄØtext structures,‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØand‚ÄØliterary devices‚ÄØfor‚ÄØpurposes‚ÄØand‚ÄØaudiences.
 
AC9E10LE06 
Compare and evaluate how‚ÄØ“voice”‚ÄØas a‚ÄØliterary device‚ÄØis used in different‚ÄØtypes of texts, such as poetry, novels and film, to evoke emotional responses.
 
Literacy | Texts in context 
 
AC9E8LY01 
Identify how‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØreflect‚ÄØcontexts.
 
AC9E9LY01 
Analyse how representations of people, places, events and‚ÄØconcepts‚ÄØreflect‚ÄØcontexts.
 
AC9E10LY01 
Analyse and evaluate how people, places, events and‚ÄØconcepts‚ÄØare represented in‚ÄØtexts and reflect‚ÄØcontexts.
 
Literacy | Analysing, interpreting and evaluating 
 
AC9E8LY03 
Analyse and evaluate the ways that‚ÄØlanguage features‚ÄØvary according to the‚ÄØpurpose‚ÄØand‚ÄØaudience‚ÄØof the‚ÄØtext, and the ways that sources and quotations are used in a‚ÄØtext.

AC9E8LY05 
Use‚ÄØcomprehension strategies‚ÄØsuch as visualising,‚ÄØpredicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning and inferring to interpret and evaluate ideas in‚ÄØtexts.
AC9E9LY03 
Analyse and evaluate how‚ÄØlanguage features are used to represent a‚ÄØperspective‚ÄØof an issue, event, situation, individual or group.

AC9E9LY05 
Use‚ÄØcomprehension strategies‚ÄØsuch as visualising,‚ÄØpredicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning and inferring to compare and contrast ideas and opinions in and between‚ÄØtexts.
AC9E10LY02 
Listen‚ÄØto spoken‚ÄØtexts‚ÄØand explain the‚ÄØpurposes‚ÄØand effects of‚ÄØtext structures‚ÄØand‚ÄØlanguage features, and use‚ÄØinteraction skills to discuss and present an opinion about these‚ÄØtexts.

AC9E10LY03 
Analyse and evaluate how‚ÄØlanguage features are used to implicitly or explicitly represent‚ÄØvalues, beliefs and attitudes.
 Media Arts 
Year 8 
Year 9+10 
Exploring and responding 
AC9AMA8E01 
Investigate the ways that‚ÄØmedia arts concepts‚ÄØare used in media arts works and practices across‚ÄØcultures, times, places and/or other contexts.
 
AC9AMA10E01 
Investigate the ways that media artists use‚ÄØmedia arts concepts‚ÄØto construct representations in media arts works and practices across‚ÄØcultures, times, places and/or other contexts.
 
Developing and practices skills 
 
AC9AMA8D01 
Reflect on their own and others’ media arts works and practices to inform choices they make during the production process.
 
AC9AMA10D02 
Reflect on their own or others’ media arts works and/or practices to refine and inform choices they make during stages of the production process.
 
 Critical and Creative Thinking 
 
Year 8 
Year 9+10 
Inquiring - Identify, process and evaluate‚ÄØinformation 
 
Identify and clarify significant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources. 
 
Reflecting - Think about‚ÄØthinking‚ÄØ(metacognition) 
 
Reflect on the thinking and processes used when completing activities or drawing conclusions.
Reflect on the thinking and processes used when completing activities and drawing conclusions. 
Inquiring - Identify, process and evaluate‚ÄØinformation 
 
 
Identify and clarify significant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources 
Analysing - Interpret concepts and problems 
 
 
Evaluate the information selected to determine bias and reliability. 
Analysing - Draw conclusions and provide‚ÄØreasons 
 
Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks by connecting evidence from within and across discipline areas to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made.
 
Reflecting - Transfer knowledge 
 
Transfer knowledge and skills gained in previous experiences to both similar and different contexts, and explain reasons for decisions and choices made.