Welcome to “Your Weekly Short,” a LakeFrontRow.com feature that showcases one short from a Wisconsin filmmaker all while stretching the definition of “weekly.” Brace thy face.
I can confirm that Kyle Annen and Brittany Glassberg nail the atmosphere of the Capitol Square Farmers’ Market, but not because their documentary short encompasses the day-long celebration of local goods and produce. Nor is it because their camera gets personal with Madison’s customers and vendors. “Stomping Ground” feels authentic because the dude yodeling “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day” is the same dude I can hear from my apartment every Saturday morning.
UW-Madison’s Annen and Glassberg capture the life cycle of one of our busiest weekend attractions by focusing on its people rather than its produce. A child tugs at a balloon. Students roll down the hilly Capitol lawn. A woman unloads potted herbs and plants from the back of a truck. Even shots of transactions and crates of fresh produce emphasize the grubby paws behind those transactions, avoiding “food porn” close-ups of fruit, vegetables and the all-too-dangerous Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread.
In rotating between sounds of the market hustle and the stylings of street musicians, Annen and Glassberg find a natural rhythm to the Farmers’ Market. It’s a familiar cycle, one that ends with the shutting of truck doors — only to begin again with the same early morning yodels.