Duels and Dreams: Mac Escalante’s Bold Vision in Armande 1968
Welcome Mac, we are very excited to have you today with us to discuss about your work.
Who is Mac Escalante and how did the passion for creating begin?
Mac Escalante is a 26 year old actor, writer, and filmmaker from the United States. He resides in the state of Georgia and his cinematic passions originated from watching movies at a young age. As a young child, Mac was introduced to the movies such as Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars as his early childhood memories for watching films. He is also a former graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia Film Academy. And as of September 2025, Mac is currently a full-time graduate student for the University of Edinburgh.
Can you tell us a bit about your previous work?
My previous work is titled “Aubrey’s Understandings” and was a student film project that I made at the University of Georgia. The story centers around a college student named Timothy who struggles with anxieties and insecurities while pursuing his classes. He then meets a sexual health/relationship therapist named Aubrey who helps him build greater self confidence within himself. As the two of them develop a professional relationship, both Aubrey and Timothy discover that they were meant to meet each other at a certain time in their lives.
Armande 1968 is a bold reimagining of an 18th-century duel, transplanted into the charged atmosphere of Paris in 1968. What first drew you to this story, and why did you feel the protests of ’68 were the perfect backdrop? In retelling a historical duel through a modern lens, were you more interested in reinterpreting history, or in showing how themes like love, rivalry, and honor transcend time?
The inspiration of “Armande 1968” originated from my appreciation for historical films and French cinema. I wanted to challenge myself through different genres in filmmaking and I was drawn by the 1718 duel between Armande and Vicomtesse. I had learned that their duel happened over an affair they both had with a French diplomat named Vignerot and was primarily focused on class, wealth, and romance. Researching this event was the most exciting examination I have ever done and I believed that this phenomenon needed to be translated through film. I visualized their duel to be very similar to some of the cinematic duels depicted in films such as “Barry Lyndon" by Stanley Kubrick and “War and Peace" by Sergei Bondarchuk. I had the exact duel of Armande and Vicomtesse envisioned in my mind but my production was unable to afford the budget for a 1718 French setting for costumes, props, etc. This then pressured me to take creative liberties by re- setting Armande’s duel to 1968 in order to offer a modernized depiction of this event. I wanted all of the historical figures/characters to be reimagined as their own counterparts as if they were to exist throughout the May 1968 Paris Protests. This then caused me to realize how class conflict continues to be relevant throughout the 250 years of French history. Especially as the duel depicted in the film centers around romance, class, betrayal, and dishonesty.
CONVERSATION ABOUT: ''Armande 1968''
The 1968 Paris protests are iconic for their aesthetics—graffiti, barricades, fashion, and slogans. How did you weave these visual and cultural elements into the film’s mood and storytelling?
I filmed the entire movie at the Boutier Winery in Daniellsville, Georgia. It gave me a very modernized French look and served as the backdrop of May 1968. The winery’s outdoor exteriors had a very European look and inspired me to use this location to serve as France. In order to define the film’s identity, my crew and I decided to shoot the entire film in black and white to give the vision a French New Wave aesthetic. My Director of Photography, Chris Jones, shot the film on the Canon EOS R50 4K Camera and used the 2:35 Widescreen Aspect Ratio in order to frame all of the shot compositions with the actors’ positions through mise-en- scene. It really helped carry the fundamentals of both the argument and duel scenes across the story. In terms of the visual and cultural elements, the graphic art designer, Ellie Zimmerman, created original poster boards to mimic what French protesters might have carried with them throughout the strikes. And they offer more to the visual narrative of the May ‘68 backdrop of Armande’s modernized setting.
Were there filmmakers, visual artists, or even political movements that inspired the look and feel of Armande 1968?
Not only was I inspired by the movies that I had previously mentioned. I was also inspired to make “Armande 1968’’ from witnessing two protests in Marseille, France from 2023. While visiting, it just so happened that there were a few union protests centered around many French cities. I saw several posters that symbolized the issues that the protesters brought to cause and made me even reflect on the May ‘68 event from Paris. It made me realize that the struggle among class conflict continues to be a topic of debate throughout French history and especially in the present day. It also parallels Armande’s historical event of 1718 along with the 1968 date for the film.
As a young filmmaker, what lessons from your first film, Aubrey’s Understandings, did you carry into this much larger and more ambitious project?
“Aubrey’s Understandings” taught me to always make films from your own passions. No matter how big or small the production is, making a movie will lead you to many possibilities in the arts. While working on my first film, I had a limited amount of knowledge about how film sets work. I did not know anything about a clapper board, a call sheet, nor grip equipment and made the film with just a Sony HD Camcorder. But the moment I built more of my expertise around the industry, I then made more connections that eventually helped me move onto a larger project. It was an honor to have made so many new friends from the cast and crew for “Armande 1968” as everyone is filled with creativity.
What do you ultimately want the audience to feel when the credits roll ?
I want the audience to feel as if they witnessed 1968 Paris brought to the big screen. It was my creative duty to reimagine how a French 1718 duel can be translated through a modernized re-telling. I am also hoping that they catch onto some French New Wave trademarks with the film such as the black and white cinematography, the costumes, the setting, etc.
In future projects, do you plan to explore similar genre intersections, or are there other genres you're eager to explore ?
I plan to approach new genres within my future career in filmmaking. Before I direct my next film, I first want to reflect on the recent successes of both “Armande 1968” and “Aubrey’s Understandings” to embrace the gratitude of my work. I look back onto the people I have worked with and those who have supported me in making my destiny possible.
Every production has its share of surprises. Were there any moments on set—happy accidents, unexpected obstacles, or even DIY fixes—that ended up shaping the film in ways you didn’t anticipate?
The biggest surprise of Armande was the last day of production. The argument scene was the most challenging scene to film as a happy accident occurred. Before filming, our microphone malfunctioned. It took the boom operator about 40 minutes to figure out and all of us were afraid to be behind schedule. This then led to my Director of Photography Chris Jones and 1st Assistant Director Amrita to re-organize the shot list for the argument scene which resulted in a wide shot of all three of the actors in frame. It felt very similar to seeing a stage play with all of the characters involved within the same scenario as well as a vintage silent film from the 1920s!
