← All Of It with Alison Stewart
All Of It with Alison Stewart
'Armed Only With a Camera' Celebrates the Life of Journalist Brent Renaud
00:27:36
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- [00:08]
A
This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thank you so for spending part of your day with us. I am grateful you are here. On today's show, actor Ari Statchel is here to talk about his off Broadway show Other. We'll speak with Warren Zanes, the author of Deliver Me From Nowhere, the inspiration for the new film about Bruce Springsteen that premiered this weekend. And NPR music writer and host Stephen Thompson joins us to discuss his favorite music biopics. That's the plan. So let's get this started with a new documentary, Armed Only with a Camera. Award winning filmmaker and photojournalist Brent Renaud was not afraid to risk his life to cover stories from conflict zones around the world, from Somalia to Chicago, from Iraq to Honduras. Tragically, in 2008, in 2022, he and fellow journalist Juan Arredondo were shot by Russian forces while covering the war in Ukraine. Juan survived, Brent did not. He was the first American journalist covering that war to be killed. The new documentary titled Armed Only with a Camera chronicles the life and death of Brent as told by his younger brother, director and journalist Craig Renaud. Through footage of Brent and Craig that they shot over the years, viewers learned what made Brent a special journalist and and a special person. You can stream Armed with Only a Camera, the Life and Death of Brett Renault now on hbo Max. We're joined today by the doc's director, Craig Renaud. Hi, Craig.
- [01:45]
B
Hi, how are you?
- [01:46]
A
I'm doing well as well as the film's producer, Juan Arredondo. Juan, nice to meet you as well.
- [01:52]
C
Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for having us.
- [01:53]
A
Of course. First of all, Craig, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Could you tell me just something that was great about your brother?
- [02:03]
B
He was a wonderful uncle and to my son and to his other nephews and a wonderful journalist and human being. I would say he was the hardest working filmmaker I've ever known and the most compassionate.
- [02:17]
A
Juan, physically, how are you doing?
- [02:20]
C
I'm good, Alison, thank you for asking. Fully recovered. I had to underwent 13 surgeries but and then physical therapy. But that was already three and a half years ago. So I'm doing well, thank you.
- [02:34]
A
Craig, you are a filmmaking team. The Renault brothers. You were known for your award style, your cinnamon verite style. But it all started with a Super 8 film camera and reels from your childhood. When was the first time that you remember picking up a camera?
- [02:51]
B
I remember a camera always being around. I mean, since my earliest memories. You know, we were fortunate that our, our parents had a Super 8 film camera. You know, and when we made this film, my mom handed me boxes of reels that were perfectly preserved and. And my parents got a camera credit in this documentary because they did an amazing job documenting our childhood. And you know, to my pleasure, it was very, very well shot. So, you know, so I guess that that started our career. It was always around. And then my father gave Brent a photo camera around the age of 10. And you'll hear him talk about that in the documentary is that was the moment where he really felt like this is what he wanted to do.
- [03:35]
A
Juan, how did you first meet Brent?
- [03:38]
C
I met Brent at. We were both Nieman Fellows at Harvard and that was in 2018. Very quiet and kept to himself. And then one, I remember on about a month of being a fellow, he called me on a Sunday to say that he lost the keys, he got locked out of his apartment and if I could stay with him and Chai, his dog with me, which you see Chai in the film as well. And that's what started long lasting friendship.
- [04:09]
A
And how did you start to work with him, Juan?
- [04:12]
C
I started to work right after the pandemic. We. We took a trip. Well, during our Nieman, we took a trip to Venice, to the border between Colombia and Venezuela. We were trying to do a short documentary in 360, but that was more of us just trying to do something around stories that was happening in that moment. But it was 20. It was during the pandemic that after I finished school, he said, hey, we got work to do. And Craig and Brent took me under their wing and I started. I always wanted to migrate into documentaries. I'm a photojournalist by training. But then we started to work. We did a documentary for Imagine Entertainment about the heroes of COVID and that was the first documentary I worked with with Craig and Brent.
- [05:01]
A
Craig, you have been incredibly, in incredibly dangerous situations over the course of your career. How did you decide when the risk was worth taking?
- [05:15]
B
It was always about, you know, the story and the impact for us. You know, it was always about can our presence make a difference? Can we get the access to the story in a way that is unique? You know, for example, when we did off to War in Iraq, which was a 10 part series for Discovery Channel, we embedded for an entire year with the Arkansas National Guard, but we were able to embed from Arkansas with really, really good access. And we grew up in Arkansas. And so that was an example of when we asked that question, you know, are we going to offer something to, to the story about, about this particular war or conflict that other people can't, you know, and, and that really always had to do with can we get to the people that are caught in the middle of these conflicts and tell their story accurately and, and with compassion.
- [06:05]
A
Juan, why did you make the decision to work in situations where death was a possibility?
- [06:12]
C
I think it's. Well, like I would say that that's not a choice that we easily make. I think my career slowly took me to cover some post work conflicts, especially in Latin America. And you, I guess slowly you become known that you're able to work in these areas. I do know that I'm very calm, especially when situations are that chaotic. And I had the confidence of all the years that Craig and Brent brought to doing documentaries. And so when we started to do this independent film about the status of refugees around the world and we heard of the invasion of Russia into Ukraine, Bren called me and said, hey, we're thinking of going. And I said, of course I'm coming with you. So there is a calculated risk that we, we take. But as, as Craig said, are always, and our mind is always what can we bring to the story? And if being there gives voices to the people who are caught in these conflicts, then for us it's worth, worth the risk.
- [07:25]
A
We're speaking about the documentary Armed Only with a Camera. It chronicles the life and death of Brent Renault, the first American journalist to be killed covering the war in Ukraine. My guests are director Craig Renaud and producer Juan Arredondo. It's available to stream now on hbo. Max, the film doesn't actually begin with Brent's death. It goes way, way back to him documenting people choosing to make their way to the north. He's seen walking through a river between Guatemala and Mexico, following a person on his quest. I'll give this to you, Craig. How did you decide this is how you wanted to start the documentary?
- [08:05]
B
Well, that was actually a great note from a very amazing editor, Gene at hbo, who, you know, when we were getting towards the very end of this editing process, you know, we had watched this thing, you know, hundreds of times and for a long time. We started with Ukraine, you know, where we just threw people right into the conflict that killed Brent. And we felt like we needed to see Brent and understand him, hear his voice and understand his compassion before, before viewers find out that he was killed. And that moment was so perfect because it's Brent doing what he did well, which is thrusting himself right into what is going on. If these young People are crossing a river, he's going to be right there with his shoes and pants off, crossing the river right there with them. And then you see him do this compassionate interview with a 16 year old kid from Honduras who had been on his own since he was 10 years old and lost his parents and was trying to do this journey year after year after year. And so we just felt like that really represented Brent's compassion and a way to start that film before you get the tragic news that he was killed in Ukraine.
- [09:22]
A
Juan, what do you remember about the attack that day? What stands out in your memory about that day?
- [09:30]
C
It's now after these years, I've been able to kind of look back. I think it was the moments that we both share, I guess the, the lighter moments given that situation and the heaviness of the conflict and what we were witnessing. But we would just have little moments in our rooms or. I remember Brent was starting his MFA in writing. He wanted to become a writer and write novels, write movies, write scripts. And I remember him being stressed out because he just didn't know what to write about for his class and he had to meet a deadline and we're in the middle of in Ukraine and he couldn't think of anything. And I said, but what do you mean? We're just here. Why don't you write about the people that we just interview? And so I remember him asking, can you pull out one of the interviews and get the audio? And I see if I can get it translated because I want to start writing about that. So I always go back to those lighter moments because that's what bonded us. That's what brought us together and what kept us safe and insane in those moments. So I like to go back and just think of those little moments.
- [10:44]
A
Craig, in this documentary you include footage of your brother's body. Some of the footage was captured right after he was killed. Some of it you filmed yourself. Why did you feel that it was important to include those images of Brent?
- [11:04]
B
Well, I just kept asking myself what I thought Brent would do in those moments. And, and so it was very hard to, to film those images, but it was not hard to know in my heart what I thought Brent would have done. You know, I mean, and like you said, we've been in many, many dangerous situations over our 20 years of doing this work and many conversations of the what ifs, you know, what if one of us are killed or were kidnapped? And we always promised each other that we wouldn't leave each other behind and that we would keep Filming. So when this happened, you know, I just felt like the right thing to do, to pick up my camera and keep filming what happened to Brent, you know, and. And I wanted to not only pay tribute to my brother, but I felt like I had to pay tribute to all the fallen journalists that do this work, especially at a time where, you know, they're being killed at a rate that's. That's higher than ever. You know, the Committee to Protect Journalists said this is the highest that it's been in terms of deaths and risk to journalists since they've started keeping number for the past three decades. And. And so I felt like this was a bigger story than just Brent and that we needed to. To show people the risk that these journalists take, but also their compassion and what they're trying to do, which is bring the truth in a time when we really need the truth, you know, and help people understand who's being impacted by these conflicts. And. And ultimately, I think most journalists and filmmakers are peace through their. Their cameras or their pen.
- [12:37]
A
Craig, were you able to. To, I guess, compartmentalize when you were filming?
- [12:44]
B
I was. You know, for better or for worse, this is something you learn to do. You know, after 20 years of doing this work, you become pretty good in the moment of. Of putting these things in. In boxes and compartmentalizing, and you deal with the grief and the pain of it later. You know, it was particularly hard with it being my brother, but I. I do think I kept leaning on that. On that skill that I developed over so many years of. Of doing this. And, you know, and then we. We edited this film for three years, and that was a very difficult process. You know, it was a lot of time with Juan and myself at my house looking through archival footage of Bren and. And healing through this process. You know, I mean, one minute we're editing a scene where Brent's in a casket and he's dead. Minute you hit play and he's crossing a river. He's very much alive. And, you know, so I think for us, it was healing. And then, you know, my executive producer on this, John Alpert, is a legendary documentary filmmaker. He taught Brent and I everything we knew, and he came on board to this project to help me get through it. You know, I mean, I would. I would get lost for months at a time in the footage, and John would need to keep pulling me back and getting me refocused. So it was. It was quite a process. But, you know, I'm happy with what we came out with in the end.
- [14:05]
A
Juan, you were also in the film, in the hospital. You looked like you were in a great deal of pain. What do you remember about that moment when they turned on the camera?
- [14:20]
C
So we were. I was evacuated and I was evacuated by Doctors Without Borders. I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for all the medical teams and, and, and professionals that without any, any need or without paid. And just, just obviously from their willingness to help a stranger that got me through those many surgeries. I was evacuated and taken to Lviv from Kiev. And we've been in touch. I remember calling Craig as soon as the incident happened and telling him that we were shot. So I was in constant contact with Craig and, and I knew he was going to go live. Eve. And I didn't think of much when, when I saw Kristoff, who was the camera person at that, coming with Craig, I didn't think much of it. I mean, I think we knew that that was the right thing to do. I was also recording myself the few times that I was conscious because I was under a lot of pain medication and sedated. I would, I would turn the camera on myself or around me just to. So I can have a record of what happened, also to share that with Craig and my mother. But, but I just, you know, I thought it was the most natural thing to do. And I, I wasn't aware of the camera at that moment because I, I just, I was so, so sorry of, of I, of seeing Craig not knowing what to say. And in the film, I think that's all I can only say is I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I keep repeating that to him, but it was very comforting to hug him and to see a familiar face at that point. I know he had to continue to try to get Brent's body out, and I had to be taken to Poland to continue my recovery.
- [16:14]
A
We're talking about the documentary Armed Only with a Camera. It chronicles the life and death of Brent Renault, the first American journalist to be killed covering the war in Ukraine. My guests are director Craig Renaud and producer Juan Arredondo. It's available to stream now on hbo. Max. Craig, when you look at the footage, one thing that stands out is how close Brent kept his shots on the faces of his subject. He puts the camera pretty close to them and he just lets them speak. Why do you think this was the kind of approach to filmmaking that you, you developed with him?
- [16:51]
B
Yeah, I mean, you know, we are very well trained documentary filmmakers, verite documentary filmmakers, where, you know, we really Try hard not to put our voices in as much as possible and try to be as objective and pure to the story as we possibly can. And the best way to do that is allowing people to speak. You know, we spent about a decade learning from John Alpert. He's one of the greatest at doing this type of film work. And then. And then it's something that we've developed over our 20 years of being in these high intense moments with people. And we just always felt like the best way to not put ourselves in these films is to just allow people to speak. And we felt that was the way for viewers to. To feel the humanity of the people that are suffering in these moments, you know, and not put a voiceover or facts or those kind of things. It's like putting a human face on the numbers that we hear about in these conflicts, you know, whether that's Haiti or. Or Iraq or Afghanistan. It's. It's just trying to put viewers right there with the person. And we film in the moment. You know, we don't sit people down and do interviews where we talk about something that happened in the past. We are experiencing it with them as they are going through it. And that makes it even more dangerous, the type of work that we do. Like, the reason Brent was killed is because he wanted to stay five extra days to find that perfect family to follow out of Ukraine, you know, starting on Wednesday. I was talking to Brent every day. I think you're ready to come back. You should come back. And he just kept saying, no, not quite. I haven't quite found the story that I need. And he just kept day after day, extending his trip until Sunday. And they had just blown up a bridge in our peen, and Juan and Brent had to get out of their vehicle to try to get forward to. To meet people, got into the car of a civilian who gave them a ride, and then they were targeted and came under attack. But essentially, what that question that you ask of, like having people right there present, that was so essential for Brent's storytelling, to be right there with people as they were actively fleeing Ukraine.
- [19:03]
A
Juan, what do you want to capture about the experience of civilians who are living in these conflict zones?
- [19:15]
C
Just to reiterate a little bit of what Craig said, but I think for me, as a four journalist, we always try to capture that one moment that sort of encompasses the situation. But I think the more you spend time with people and the more they open to you, you get to see these intimate moments of what people are going through in a moment. In a situation like that. And I think that's what I think we resonated so well. We work together so well because Brandon, Craig always wanted to get that. That story and go deeper to make it very personal. That requires time. And I think that's the way I like to work is not. Not so news breaking, as we call it in the industry, but more of a long form where to visit your subjects many times where they feel very comfortable with your pres. Also with the camera to the point that they forget that you're there and they, and they become collaborators in the story. And sometimes in situations like, like conflict zones, you don't have that luxury. So it's, it's. It's finding that person and, and also being vulnerable. The, the subjects and people see through you see when you're genuinely have compassionate for their situation, when they really see that you're there to tell their story. And it's almost magical. I tell my students about that is like a door opens and, and you're in, but it takes some time to that door to open. And finally people feel like they welcome you in into their lives. So that, that's what I always try to do in my project. And my work is trying to get that personal, an intimate moment so the viewer, the reader can, can feel as they're there with us. Not that there's a middleman that is telling the story.
- [21:10]
A
We feel as we get to know Brent in this documentary that there's so much, there's so much to relate to him. And I think the fact that you talked about him having a diagnosis of autism was really interesting in the film. He said in the film, Hope, I'm saying this right, I can be as calm as a Zen monk in a firefight or a disaster zone, but for years, a cocktail party in Brooklyn was absolutely terrifying. Craig, how do you think that diagnosis affected his work at all, if it did at all?
- [21:52]
B
Oh, I think it did. You know, I, I think, you know, Brent's intensity, first of all, I mean, he, he was such a intense, clearly focused person. He was so calm in these spaces. But also, I think he could also relate to people in terms of feeling a bit of an outsider and, and you know, I think his compassion was, was part of, was related to his autism as well. You know, he grew up at a time in Arkansas where nobody knew what this diagnosis was. And it wasn't until he was adult that he went and got himself diagnosed. So I, you know, growing up as kids, I just remember Brent always being referred to as Difficult, you know, and because people just simply didn't understand him, you know. And so I think there was a level to his ability to relate to other people who were, who were dealing with these very difficult circumstances because of the experiences he had throughout his life, you know, and he, he was constantly overcoming his own fears to just be able to socialize, you know, and he was, he was very calm in these spaces as well. I mean, that is an accurate statement when he is saying that, that he's much calmer in a conflict zone than he is at a cocktail party. But, you know, we were blessed that Brent talked about this at Harvard among his fellow classmates during their fellowship. We had this audio of him revealing that. I don't. I don't know that I would have been comfortable talking about it if Brent had not revealed it himself, because I know that must have been so difficult for him to talk about. So, yeah, it's something that's unique about him and it adds another level to the story to understanding who he was and why he was particularly gifted in this space.
- [23:42]
A
I have to ask you, Craig, you were brothers. Brothers. Disagreements sometimes. What kind of disagreements did you have when you were making films?
- [23:53]
B
I mean, what's interesting is we never disagreed in filmmaking, you know, and I like, we were always on the same page with filmmaking. You know, we would disagree about silly, silly stuff that brothers. It probably most of our fights as brothers as adults was not very difficult in the fights we had as little kids. It's just getting on each other's nerves or spending too much time with each other, each other. But when we were filming or in the edit room, we were, we were very much in sync. So. So, yeah, but we definitely did our fair share of bickering and fighting as brothers.
- [24:29]
A
Juan, at the end of the film, we learned that more than 100 journals have been killed this year since Breast. Since Brent's passing. We all know this. As a journalist who has been physically harmed during reporting, what makes you the most nervous about a statistic like that?
- [24:50]
C
Well, I think is that our profession and our colleagues are in more danger, as we've seen in the last couple years. And I think it's not getting any better. And I'm concerned about the state of journalism because we're seeing not only in other countries, but we're starting to see here in the US that a lot of colleagues are self censoring. A lot of colleagues are opting out maybe not to speak against certain things because they will be targeted. Maybe not physically like we were, but there are Other means to put pressure on newsrooms and organizations and on journalists. So I am concerned because we serve a purpose and one of them is to keep the people in power in checked and also in our cases with our films and in photography is to go to these places. We physically have to be there in order to capture history. I always think that that's first and foremost my, my, my job is to capture history so we don't forget what happened, so others do not deny certain things that, or atrocities that happen. But also we need to be there to give voices to the people that are in these situations. And we're civilians and we're protected under the Roman stature and we're protected as civilians and we're seeing that those, those lines are blurry more and more. So I am concerned, I think there are organizations that are trying to help advocate for journalists to be safer and to do this work safe.
- [26:29]
A
Before I let you go, Craig, you established the Brett Renault foundation to continue his legacy through mentorship. Would you tell us quickly about the program?
- [26:38]
B
Yes, thank you for talking about it. Brent was a wonderful mentor. You know, we started our careers being mentored by John Alpert and then at the downtown Community Television center, we were also teachers. You know, we were always teaching young people through their pro TV program there how to become filmmakers. And it's, it's a powerful tool to put a camera on young people's hands and, and teach them how to tell their own stories. So we wanted to continue that legacy. And we're also talking now about how can we be helpful to journalists who are being targeted and how do we help them deal with their trauma as well. So we're still evolving as a foundation, but you know, we want to, we want to help and keep the legacy that Brent started alive.
- [27:20]
A
The documentary is called Armed Only with a Camera. I've been speaking with Craig Renaud and producer Juan Arredondo. It's available to stream now on hbo. Max, thank you for the work you do.
- [27:31]
B
Thank you so much for having us talk about Brent today.
- [27:34]
C
Thank you. Thank you.
- [27:36]
B
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- [28:22]
A
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