A wedding scene for the upcoming short film ‘In This Moment’ featuring Tayler Hamilton and Frederick Buckenmyer IV was recently filmed at a gazebo near Hickory Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township.
No, that wasn’t a real wedding you saw taking place if you were driving down Hickory Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township around 9 a.m. one recent Saturday.
It was actually a wedding scene being filmed for an independent short film called “In This Moment,” which stars Bethlehem native and Hollywood star Daniel Roebuck.
Roebuck wasn’t part of the wedding scene shot in Saucon Valley, but later in the day he appeared in a scene that was filmed on a bench in Bethlehem’s Monocacy Park, and the next day he was again on set in Center Valley, where filming continued at the home of associate producer and friend Beth Clausnitzer.
Ally (played by Sara Harman) and Thomas (played by Daniel Roebuck) film a scene from ‘In This Moment’ on a bench in Monocacy Park in Bethlehem.
For the park scene, Roebuck was gray-bearded and expertly made up by makeup artists Darren Pastor and Katie Welsh to look about 25 years older than he actually is, appearing almost unrecognizable to those who know him, and older than his own father, who was present on the film set.
The similarities between Daniel Roebuck–in makeup that aged him about 25 years–and his father caused many on the set of ‘In This Moment’ to do a double-take.
“In This Moment” is being produced by Sam Borowski, a friend of Roebuck’s who was introduced to the Lehigh Valley by the star who’s perhaps best known for his performances in “Matlock” and “Lost,” as well as the recently-released indie feature film “Getting Grace,” which was also filmed in Bethlehem and which Roebuck also directed and co-wrote.
While on a visit to promote “Grace” in March, Roebuck took time out of his busy local schedule to visit St. Theresa School in Hellertown, where he told students about his life, career and how his spirituality has influenced both.
During his July visit, Roebuck reminisced about Borowski’s first visit to the Christmas City 13 years ago, when they feasted on Potts’ hot dogs amid the serene surroundings of Monocacy Park and a seed for the filming of “In This Moment” was sown.
“I said, ‘I would love to shoot something here,'” Borowski recalled.
“There’s too much to like about (the Bethlehem area) not to shoot here,” he said, calling it “a burgeoning film community.”
In addition to being the sixth collaborative effort between Borowski and Roebuck, “In This Moment” marks the directorial debut of Taylor Salotti.
Producer Sam Borowski is joined by director Taylor Sarotti (far left), Sarah Teed (left) and actress Tayler Hamilton (right) on the set of ‘In This Moment’ in Lower Saucon Township July 14.
“This project was about creating opportunities for others,” Borowski told the website Broadway World last month. “And, Taylor has been both a writing and acting student of mine for close to two years.”
“This is my first big director’s job, so I get to see what it’s actually like being on the other side of the camera,” Salotti observed, adding that it is important to make sure everyone is happy with what is being produced.
The story that is the focus of “In This Moment” is about a woman named Ally (played by Sara Harman), who an elderly man named Thomas (played by Roebuck) finds forlorn and alone on a city park bench.
Thomas sits next to Ally and tells her about his wife–to whom he’s been married for 60 years–and in the process teaches her a life lesson about love.
The filming of the scene in which Thomas (Daniel Roebuck) meets Ally (Sara Harman) took place in Bethlehem’s Monocacy Park.
In that sense, it echoes a theme of “Getting Grace,” in which Roebuck played a cynical undertaker who was on the receiving end of a life lesson provided by a terminally ill woman planning her own funeral.
“I think what ‘Getting Grace’ did for the Lehigh Valley is be a love letter,” Roebuck said of the film, which played locally at the Carmike at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley and elsewhere.
“I’m always going to try and concentrate on the best stories of perseverance and determination,” he explained.
Of the character he plays in “In This Moment,” he commented that “Thomas is just a regular guy leading a regular life who does what is expected of all of us by our Great Creator.” And that, he said, is to help a stranger in need.
“We’re not here to co-exist. We’re here to co-create,” Roebuck said. “We’re here to to glorify each other’s accomplishments.”
Roebuck’s next film will be called “Hail Mary.”
Another indie feature that he plans to film locally, Roebuck said “Hail Mary” will “have the spirit of faith,” which is a subject he said many people want to see reflected in the movies they watch, but one that mainstream Hollywood often rejects.
In the meantime, those audiences can expect “Getting Grace” to be released on DVD in November and “In This Moment” to be released to the film festival circuit either late this year or early next year.
There is a Facebook page to follow for updates on the release of “In This Moment” and other news.
Many Saucon Valley area residents will recognize this white gazebo, which is located in a field along Hickory Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township. The gazebo was recently used as a filming location for the indie short film ‘In This Moment,’ which stars Bethlehem native Daniel Roebuck. Roebuck’s scene was filmed at Monocacy Park in Bethlehem.
A number of extras were used for the filming of the wedding scene at the gazebo in Lower Saucon Township.
A cast and crew T-shirt. On the other side of the shirt is the quote, “If you love a woman, ask her about her day.”
The throwing of confetti had to be timed perfectly to coincide with a wedding kiss that occurred during the filming of a scene in Lower Saucon Township.
