A first-of-its-kind workshop hosted at the York U Motion Media Studio (YUMMS) has brought together early-career art, film and media practitioners, including students and alumni from York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), to build professional sets entirely from reclaimed materials.
The Circular Production Design-Build Workshop, presented by the Canadian Production Design Association (CPD), was a free, hands-on training program that reimagined how sets can be designed, built and reused for film and television.
Held over four consecutive weekends in Toronto from late January through February 2026, it marked the first workshop of its kind in Canada.
Circular Production Design-Build Workshop
Circular production design is an approach that considers not just how a set looks on camera, but how it is built, what it is made of, and what happens to those materials when production wraps.
The workshops brought together a mix of university students and working professionals to collaboratively design and build modular sets using reclaimed materials
Guided by six instructors with over 30 years of combined industry experience (whose credits include Suits, The Handmaid's Tale and Boston Blue), participants learned to design and build two full standing sets grounded in circular methodologies, emphasizing pre-planning, exit planning, material reuse, modularity and the use of sustainable materials.
The workshop was made possible through support from the Canadian Media Fund, the City of Toronto, the Directors Guild of Canada, Wise Acre, Ontario Green Screen and other sponsors, making participation completely free for all cohort members.
AMPD supports hands-on industry training
The York U Motion Media Studio (YUMMS) at Cinespace Toronto served as the workshop’s home base, providing the professional soundstages, green screen and industry-standard infrastructure needed to bring the program to life.
For Samiramis Kia (BFA ‘19), a graduate from AMPD’s Film Production program and current MFA Film student at York, the workshop has opened up new ways of thinking about her creative process.
“Participating in this program has been one of the greatest experiences for me, both as a filmmaker and as a production designer,” says Samiramis.
“Circular design, in particular, was a new subject for me, and learning about it directly from industry professionals was incredibly valuable. Understanding how design ideas are executed within available resources, while balancing responsibility, aesthetics, and practicality, is a rare opportunity for a student.”
Samiramis says the experience shaped how she is thinking about her own upcoming thesis film, one she is now considering shooting on a set built through the workshop itself.
“It was through York that I was introduced to this opportunity,” Samiramis adds. “This program effectively bridged the gap between classroom theory and real-world practice, allowing me to see how sustainable design principles are applied in professional production environments.”
Emily Bendeck Garay, a Masters student at York's Schulich School of Business with ties to AMPD faculty, echoed the significance of having access to a facility like YUMMS at this stage of her career:
“YUMMS is an incredible facility that is rarely seen in film schools at this scale of functionality. You should never underestimate the incredible power of having a space for creation and innovation like YUMMS does at such a formative time in your career.”
She also reflected on the broader impact of the program beyond technical training.
“My interactions with AMPD faculty have not only revived my faith in arts academia, but also affirmed that my research interests have real-life applications that not only practically help with technical aspects, but also with moulding the way the industry is going as we bring this new generation of film workers.”
Building toward a more sustainable industry
The Circular Production Design-Build Workshop reflects a growing shift in how the screen-based production industry is approaching sustainability. One where the design of a set is considered not just for what it looks like on camera, but for how it is built, what it will be made of, and what happens when production wraps.
By hosting the program at the York U Motion Media Studio, AMPD is helping to ensure that the next generation of art, film and media professionals enters the industry not only with technical skills, but with the sustainable mindset the field increasingly demands.