The Guild of Television Cameramen’s 42nd annual awards presentations were held on Sunday May 18 at The Great Barn in Upper Aynho, Oxfordshire. The awards were presented by Stuart McDonald, one of the UK's premiere live and event television directors.
Starting as a trainee he then moved up the ladder to camera operator and worked on LWT productions such as Within These Walls, Just William, Enemy at the Door, The Stanley Baxter Shows, Russ Abbott's Madhouse, Canon & Ball, Metal Mickey, Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, The Royal Variety Shows, and Live From Her Majesty’s.
In 1983 he joined the newly formed Limehouse Studios in London's Docklands where he eventually became head of the camera department. Limehouse was put on the TV map with programmes such as Network 7, Channel 4's Who Dares Wins, Hiawatha for the National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Cyrano De Bergerac starring Derek Jacobi.
When the bulldozers moved in, it was time for him and the rest of the staff to go out into the new and exciting world of freelancing.
Comedian Peter Kay writes, "I’ve worked with Martin on many occasions and in that time, we’ve been in prison together, trapped overnight in a wood, and stuck in the back of a motor home with a flatulent pig".
In 2014, after 38 years as a TV cameraman, Martin was asked to be the Director of Photography on two feature films, Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie and What We Did On Our Holiday.
He has received four Certificate of Merits from the GTC plus a BAFTA Nomination for Challenge Anneka. In 2011 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Royal Television Society.
The Mike Baldock Award was won by the Rory Peck Trust. It was collected by the trust's director, Tina Carr, who also gave an introduction to the work of the Trust.
Honorary Membership of the GTC was presented to David Monkhouse, retired from Vitec Group after more than 30 years with Vinten.
Awards for Excellence
Camera Team
Danny MacCaskill's The Ridge
Drone Cameraman/Director: Stu Thomson
Drone Cameraman: Lec Park
Cameraman: Scott Marshall
Eurovision 2014 – the Netherlands song
Steadicam: Karsten Jacobsen
Follow Focus: Martin Samsoe
The Condemned
Camera/director: Nick Read
Hinterland
DoP: Richard Stoddard
The Queen’s Garden
Camera Team: Robin Cox, Robert Hollingworth, Tim Shepherd, Simon de Glanville
Hive Alive
DoP: Robin Smith
Our Girl
DoP: Nick Dance BSC
John Bishop’s Australia
Drone work: Heliguy Guy Littermore
The Wonders of the Monsoon, episode 5: The Drought
Camera: Nick Lyon and camera team
The Guild of Television Cameramen (www.gtc.org.uk) is an independent non-profit-making international organisation that cares about television camerawork and the people who make it their craft. The GTC has over 1,100 members, in the UK, Europe, Australia, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the USA. The majority work in aspects of television ranging from production through documentary and drama, live events, news and current affairs, sports and light entertainment, to corporate video.
