A pioneer in the industry, he was the cinematographer to film the first movie to star Ethel and John Barrymore.
In the 1910s some of his notable films include: The White Raven, starring Ethel Barrymore (1917);[4] 1918's Kildare of Storm, starring Broadway actress Emily Stevens;[5] the Emmy Wehlen vehicle, A Favor to a Friend (1919);[6] and Henry Otto's 1919 comedy, Fair and Warmer.
There have been many instances where a cameraman has worked hard and obtained good photography, but due to poor direction, the picture was a failure.
[8] In the remaining years of the silent era, some of the more notable films which Martinelli shot include: Polly With a Past (1920), starring Ina Claire who was reprising her stage role;[9] Alias Ladyfingers (1921), directed by Bayard Veiller;[10] Ella Cinders (1926), based on the popular comic strip and starring Colleen Moore;[11] and 1926's The Greater Glory, starring Conway Tearle and Boris Karloff.
[13][14] During the Hollywood's Golden Age, Martinelli would film over 50 pictures, including: Supernatural (1933), starring Carole Lombard and Randolph Scott;[15] Revolt of the Zombies, the 1936 sequel to White Zombie, starring Dorothy Stone and Dean Jagger;[16] the 1937 western, Drums of Destiny, starring Tom Keene;[17] the 1939 crime drama Star Reporter;[18] the 1940 Bela Lugosi horror film, The Devil Bat;[19] the film noir Federal Fugitives (1941);[20] the 1941 drama, Double Cross;[21] the final installment in the Scattergood Baines film series, Cinderella Swings It (1943);[22] the 1944 Charlie Chan film Black Magic;[23] and the 1945 western, In Old New Mexico, based on O. Henry's 1909 character, The Cisco Kid.