On the Media "Armed Only With A Camera"
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Feb 4, 2026 Craig Renaud, documentary filmmaker who co-created films with his brother Brent, talks about their cinéma vérité style and the archive-driven making of the Oscar-nominated short 'Armed Only With a Camera'. He recalls how they began in journalism. He describes the moment Brent was shot, why he kept filming, and how the film honors fallen reporters and continues their work.
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Early Camera Roots And Deep Embedding
- Craig Renaud and Brent grew up with cameras and started filming from childhood, shaping their careers as journalists.
- They spent months embedded with subjects, like a year with the Arkansas National Guard, to build trust and depth in stories.
Complementary Partnership Under Fire
- The brothers' differing personalities complemented their filmmaking, creating seamless teamwork in dangerous situations.
- Their silent communication let them anticipate each other's moves while filming in conflict zones.
Filming Through His Brother's Death
- Craig described the instant he learned Brent had been shot when Juan kept repeating "we've been shot."
- He continued filming despite knowing Brent was dying because they had agreed: if one is killed, the other keeps filming.
