By Elene Mekete

The second day of the Toronto Screenwriting Conference started off bright and early on Sunday with several engaging sessions, including the ins and outs of pitching a show and the best way to end your film with a bang.

The morning kicked off with a panel titled “The Way of the Future: Writing Science-Fiction for Television.”  Denis McGrath moderated writers Cameron Porsandeh (Helix), Sam Egan (The Listener), Emily Andras (Lost Girl) and Alan McCullough (Sanctuary).

Fans were a big topic of discussion throughout the session. Andras noted that sci-fi fans are quick to call writers out when shows deviate from the fictional world the series exists in. “The fans are very cognizant of the rules we’ve set out,” she explained.  Helix creator Porsandeh added that he’s always shocked by what fans like about the show.

The panel also discussed the ability for sci-fi to connect with audiences around the world. “Really good genre stories, even if they’re not validated by tomorrow’s newspaper, they resonate with the human condition,” Egan said.

Glenn Cockburn, president of Meridian Artists, moderated an insightful discussion with Leonard Dick entitled “Breakdown of the One-hour Drama.” Dick remarked that most showrunners spend so much time working on a pilot episode that they often have no idea what they want to do with the series overall.

“Shows shift, stories shift, characters shift,” Dick explained. “The second season often has a little more confidence in the story.”

He also touched on the ways cable television is shifting the standards for writers. “Audiences are so smart now,” he said. “You can’t just tell the same story over and over. You have to keep the story moving and you have to do it in surprising ways.”

After the lunch break, TSC delegates returned to the “Anatomy of a Pilot” session, facilitated by television producer Eric Gilliland. Gilliland gave an in-depth breakdown of writing and pitching pilots for television. “Pitching is a show. You’re on camera, you’re on stage. Look ’em in the eyes,” Gilliland said.

He also encouraged writers to consider taking improv classes. “You’ll have more of a rapport with actors and it will help your [pitch] presentations,” Gilliland said.

The conference wrapped with an appropriate closing topic: endings. Academy Award winner Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) returned to the stage to discuss his formula to writing great endings in film. “Often times, the hero runs around and things are getting better,” Arndt explained.

“My argument is that things should be getting worse…The worse you can make things for your hero in the third act, the better the ending will be.” Arndt used examples from Star Wars, The Graduate and even Shakespeare’s Hamlet to showcase the similar trajectory and patterns found in their respective endings.

After a whirlwind weekend, the Toronto Screenwriting Conference successfully left screenwriters with invaluable notes, new peers and plenty of inspiration.