First target reached! Stretch target: £750
Thank you SO much to everyone that helped us reach our first target! With this stret...
SAPONACEOUS
South Korea
Aim: Trapped in a standoff with a power-thirsty sensor tap, frustration quickly turns into obsession as the tap seems to mock her every move
ABOUT
'Saponaceous' is a short, thriller set and shot in South Korea. With only two cast members and a tight, six-minute run time, and little dialogue, this film will not only be a challenge, but an exciting one at that. Created by Atiha Burn, the producer and director of 'Body of Water', 'Saponaceous' will be her second film and breakthrough into other genres. Co-writer and producer Cecy Park also leads this project as her second film this year and, one aspect of her entrance into film-making.
We are shooting on the 20th of July so are hoping to hit our target by that date!
We hope that the details ahead intrigue you enough to support this little, fun film and we are so grateful for any donations, hopefully we can reach the target together!
You can find budget and crew information further down!
STORY
Saponaceous starts in a women’s bathroom stall with the buckling of jeans, pulling of trousers and zipping of zippers. As our lead character continues to go to wash her hands under the motion-censored sinks, she quickly realises that the taps have a vendetta against her which quickly causes her to descend into a soapy craze.
Our lead character is at her whits-end with these taps and her anger from whatever has put her in a bad mood EXPLODES into a freak frenzy. She violently pushes over the girl who ends up washing her hands next to her, in an attempt to finally rinse her hands of this godforsaken soap.
With water and soap flying across the bathroom, screams echoing off of the ceramic, the last shot we see is a watery hand print smacked against the cold tiles. Unsure of whose it is, it leaves us thinking whether our lead finally manages to trick the taps.
IDEA
The idea for Saponaceous came to me when I had to use a motion sensor tap in a rather fancy, public bathroom. I was in a particularly bad mood and the tap just wasn’t working, which further infuriated me. That’s when this idea for the film came to me. It’s a silver lining I guess that one of my favourite ideas came from such a moment of impatience.
Thriller and comedy have been two genres I’ve been desperate to explore after my first film, as they’re so opposite tonally, so I’m very excited to dip my toes into a new unexplored area of filmmaking.
This will be shot and read in Korean which is another interesting aspect of this project as I’ve never had the chance to film something outside of the UK. Taking this on in another language, especially one as close to me as Korean, it will be tremendously fun. - Atiha Burn
STYLE & TONE
For Saponaceous I love the muted colourful glow you get from old 70’s bathroom tiles that you see in old school films like ‘Grease’ and ‘Pretty in Pink’. If we can find a bathroom to fit my vision this would be perfect.
Blue is another colour that we typically associate with bathrooms and cleanliness which I think would make the perfect oppositional cool tone that will really enhance the eeriness of the ‘haunted taps’.
Starting in the warmer ‘tile’ tones, the film would slowly shift towards blues towards the peak of the action.
BUDGET
Saponaceous is a micro-budget film, so all we're asking for is £650 or about ₩1,200,000. This will be split across six sections: equipment, cast, catering, contingency, post and festivals entry costs. With this budget we'll have enough money to cover each of these aspects of the production.
CREW
Producers: Atiha Burn, Cecy Park
Writers: Atiha Burn, Cecy Park
Co-producer: Angela Lee
With help from The University of Utah
CREW LINKS - INSTAGRAM
@AtihaBurn
@stripsandstreams
@aaangelaleee
FILM LINK - INSTAGRAM
@saponaceous_film
Thank you if you made it all the way to the bottom! I hope after reading this that you're excited to watch the final product! Find us on Instagram for more updates along the way - Atiha
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th July 2025 at 11:59pm