A convention of Thriller opening sequences that the movie does not spend very long initially establishing the characters. Instead, it introduces a strong element of the plot straight away to give the audience some information about what is going on, without explaining why it is going on. For example, in Watchmen, the opening scene is a fight scene between two characters who we barely know. Another example is in Face/Off where the only information we are given is that a father and his son (presumably) are at a fun fair before it kills a central character.
The micro elements usually work well to conceal the character. For example, mise-en-scene is used in the form of costume by giving the characters dark, black clothing. This can be used to hide the character in the low-key-lighting or just to make the character seem mysterious.
Another convention is that Thriller opening sequences commonly contain violent scenes to draw the audience into the story straight away. This convention is shared with the Action/Adventure genre. The tone of Thriller's are very serious and harsh realism. Therefore, the opening sequence do not demonstrate many characters with idealist life styes. One example is shown above in the Watchmen clip.
Long shots and loose frames are used commonly in Thriller opening sequences to show the character at a distance. This is used either to show the character's environment and setting; or it is used to, again, conceal the character from the audience - making the audience want to watch more of the film.
Contrapuntal music is convention of Thriller films as it is a useful technique to confuse the audience and put the audience on edge. It also offers a alternative perspective of the visuals to the perspective the audience would have if the music matched the visuals.
Non-Diegetic music heard over Watchmen opening sequence
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