# Martin Kenzie
**Martin Kenzie** (1956–2012) was a British cinematographer and camera technician whose career ran from second-assistant work on major Hollywood productions of the 1980s to second-unit cinematography on British features and, at the end of his life, director of photography on the television series *Game of Thrones*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born in 1956 in Cambridge, England; died 16 July 2012 in the UK of cancer[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/) |
| First feature work | Assistant cameraman on Stanley Kubrick's *The Shining* (1980), working with cinematographer John Alcott BSC[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342) |
| Guild memberships | British Society of Cinematographers (associate member from 1998, full member 2012) and the Guild of British Camera Technicians[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/bio/) |
| Main-unit DP credits | *Dinotopia*, *Rome*, *Keen Eddie*, *Easy Virtue*, *George Harrison: Living in the Material World*, and four 2012 episodes of *Game of Thrones*[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/martin-kenzie/credits/3000116152/) |
| Second-unit work | Second-unit director of photography on *The King's Speech*, *Clash of the Titans*, *Johnny English Reborn*, and *Hanna*, among others[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/) |
| Memorial | *Game of Thrones* dedicated its season three premiere, "Valar Dohaeris", aired 31 March 2013, to his memory[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342) |
## Early career in the camera department
Kenzie was born in Cambridge, England, and started his career as a production runner for the London-based television commercials company Picture Palace Productions, then worked in the camera department at Samuelson Film Services preparing motion-picture cameras for hire[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342).
His first feature film work came on [Stanley Kubrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kubrick)'s *The Shining* (1980) as an assistant cameraman alongside the film's cinematographer John Alcott[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342). Through the early 1980s he worked as a second assistant camera on a run of large-scale productions: *Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), *For Your Eyes Only* (1981), *Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi* (1983), *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* (1984), and [David Lean](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-lean)'s *A Passage to India* (1984), on which he was credited as clapper[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342) • [5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie).
## Camera operator and focus puller
Through the late 1980s and 1990s Kenzie moved up the camera department ladder. As a focus puller he worked on *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), *The Color Purple* (1985), and *White Hunter, Black Heart* (1990); as first assistant camera on *Willow* (1988), *Alien 3* (1992), and *The Godfather Part III* (1990)[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/martin-kenzie/credits/3000116152/).
As a camera operator his credits include *1492: Conquest of Paradise* (1992), *The Power of One* (1992), *Shadowlands* (1993), *Hamlet* (1996), *Tomorrow Never Dies* (1997), *Seven Years in Tibet* (1997), *Band of Brothers* (2001), *Black Hawk Down* (2001), *The Four Feathers* (2002), and *Mamma Mia!* (2008)[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/martin-kenzie/credits/3000116152/) • [5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie).
## Director of photography and second unit
Kenzie's first credited work as a cinematographer came in television: *Dinotopia* (2002–2003, 13 episodes), *Keen Eddie* (2003–2004, 12 episodes), and *Rome* (2005, 4 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/). His feature credits as cinematographer include *[Easy Virtue](https://www.edgepedia.org/easy-virtue-2008-film)* (2008) and Martin Scorsese's documentary *George Harrison: Living in the Material World* (2011)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/).
Much of his later feature work was on second units, the separate crews that shoot inserts, stunts, aerials, and other material without the principal cast[6](https://flashboards.yaroflasher.com/learn/filmmaking-process/second-unit/). He was second-unit director of photography on *The King's Speech* (2010), *Clash of the Titans* (2010), *Johnny English Reborn* (2011), *Hanna* (2011), *Amazing Grace* (2006), and *Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker* (2006), and second-unit director on *Pirate Radio* (2009), *St. Trinian's* (2007), and *Wimbledon* (2004)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/) • [5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie). On *Syriana* (2005) he directed and photographed the second aerial unit[5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie).
## Game of Thrones and death
In 2012 Kenzie served as director of photography on four episodes of *Game of Thrones*: "[Garden of Bones](https://www.edgepedia.org/garden-of-bones)", "[The Ghost of Harrenhal](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ghost-of-harrenhal)", "[A Man Without Honor](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-man-without-honor)", and "The Old Gods and the New"[5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie). He also held additional-photography credits on the series through 2015 and a plate-photography credit for Iceland unit work[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/) • [5](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie).
He died of cancer on 16 July 2012 in the UK, aged 56[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/). The British Society of Cinematographers' roster gives his death date as 14 July 2012[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342). *Game of Thrones* dedicated the season three premiere, "[Valar Dohaeris](https://www.edgepedia.org/valar-dohaeris)", broadcast on 31 March 2013, to his memory in the credits[2](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342).
## References
1. [Martin Kenzie, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/)
2. [Martin Kenzie BSC, British Society of Cinematographers Members Roster](https://bscine.com/bsc-members/?id=342)
3. [Martin Kenzie – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449027/bio/)
4. [Martin Kenzie List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/martin-kenzie/credits/3000116152/)
5. [Martin Kenzie, ShotOnWhat?](https://shotonwhat.com/o/96515/martin-kenzie)
6. [Second Unit: What It Shoots & What the Director Does, Yaroflasher](https://flashboards.yaroflasher.com/learn/filmmaking-process/second-unit/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Craft crew: cinematographers, editors, composers, critics › Cinematographers: biographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license