DANIEL BIRT | SET DECORATOR Daniel Birt is an internationally recognised Set Decorator whose career spans more than 28 years across film and television. Originally from New Zealand, Daniel has built an international career working across more than 18 countries and on productions ranging from intimate character-driven films to large-scale studio features, historical epics, science fiction, fantasy and major international television series. His journey into filmmaking began in New Zealand and Australia, where he developed his craft within the art department as a set dresser before progressing into set decoration. Early in his career, Daniel contributed to some of the most ambitious productions made in New Zealand and Australia, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, District 9, Avatar and HBO's The Pacific. These experiences provided a foundation in large-scale filmmaking and helped shape the combination of creativity, practicality and attention to detail that has defined his career. Daniel moved into the role of Set Decorator on Warner Bros.' Yogi Bear, beginning a period that would see him take responsibility for increasingly complex and visually distinctive productions. His subsequent work has crossed an unusually broad range of genres, periods and cultures.For Peter Webber's Emperor, Daniel helped recreate post-war Japan in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, before moving into the extraordinary worlds of films including Neill Blomkamp's Chappie, Michael Dougherty's Krampus and Yuen Woo-ping's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. The projects took him from the gritty near-future streets of Johannesburg to fantasy environments and the historic world of Qing Dynasty China. His ability to work internationally became an increasingly important part of his career. Daniel has led and collaborated with set decoration departments across New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Morocco, China, Thailand, Hawaii, Canada, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Italy and numerous other locations around the world. His credits include Universal Pictures' The Mummy, the contemporary siege drama 6 Days, Paramount's Action Point, Netflix's Kate, Amazon's Don't Make Me Go, Netflix's Thai Cave Rescue, the fantasy adventure Slumberland and F. Gary Gray's international heist film Lift. Period storytelling has also formed an important part of Daniel's work. On the BBC/Working Title adaptation of Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries, he helped create the richly detailed world of 1860s New Zealand during the West Coast gold rush. His work contributed to the production's recognition at the New Zealand Television Awards. Daniel's work has been recognised internationally by leading organisations within the production design and set decoration community. 6 Days received a British Film Designers Guild nomination for Production Design, while Don't Make Me Go, on which Daniel collaborated with Production Designer Felicity Abbott, was nominated for Best Production Design – Independent Feature Film, Contemporary. In 2025, Daniel received a Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) nomination for Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Feature Film for How to Train Your Dragon, recognising his contribution to bringing the richly detailed Viking world of Berk to life in live action. More recently, Daniel has continued to work at the highest level of international production. He served as Set Decorator on Apple TV+'s epic historical series Chief of War, starring Jason Momoa, helping create the world of the Hawaiian Islands at the end of the eighteenth century. He subsequently joined Universal Pictures' live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois. As Set Decorator, Daniel helped translate the much-loved animated world into a physical live-action environment, contributing to the creation of the Viking world of Berk and its richly layered interiors and environments. His recent credits further demonstrate the international scope of his career, including Amazon MGM Studios' The Wrecking Crew, starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, and Heart of the Beast, directed by David Ayer and staring Brad Pitt. He is also credited as Set Decorator on Road House 2. Across nearly three decades, Daniel's work has taken him from New Zealand film sets to some of the largest stages and locations in international filmmaking. Whether recreating a historical period, constructing an entirely imagined world or grounding a contemporary story in authentic detail, his approach is centred on character, narrative and the belief that every object within a set has the potential to contribute to the story. Working across different countries has become an integral part of Daniel's creative identity. Collaborating with local craftspeople, buyers, makers and art departments around the world has given him an extensive understanding of different cultures, materials, manufacturing traditions and ways of working. That experience has made adaptability, collaboration and resourcefulness fundamental to his approach as a Set Decorator. In recognition of his contribution to the craft of filmmaking, Daniel was invited to join the Production Design Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019. He is also a professional member of the Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA), BAFTA Los Angeles, the British Film Designers Guild (BFDG), and the Australian Production Design Guild (APDG). After more than 28 years in the industry, Daniel continues to seek projects that offer new creative challenges, new worlds to build and opportunities to collaborate with filmmakers and craftspeople around the world. danielbirtdecorator.com |
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