Is there a word for this?
What do you call it when the background music/sound of a movie or TV program is at odds with the main action? I was watching Mythbusters last night, and during the episode where they investigate the "Elephants fear mice" myth*, something was bothering me about the soundtrack. Eventually I realized that the background sound was a loon distress call. That's just not right for Africa - or elephants.
I'm sure this is done deliberately sometimes. For instance, the movie "A Clockwork Orange" had a gang beating done to the tune of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring". The effect is dissonant. In literary terms, it might be called a mixed metaphor. Neither of these quite describes the phenomenon where you're seeing one thing and hearing something at odds with what you're seeing.
*under the conditions presented in the show, it appears that elephants do notice and avoid mice!
I'm sure this is done deliberately sometimes. For instance, the movie "A Clockwork Orange" had a gang beating done to the tune of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring". The effect is dissonant. In literary terms, it might be called a mixed metaphor. Neither of these quite describes the phenomenon where you're seeing one thing and hearing something at odds with what you're seeing.
*under the conditions presented in the show, it appears that elephants do notice and avoid mice!