After serious deliberations about entering the priesthood - he entered a seminary in 1956 - Martin Scorsese opted to channel his passions into film. He graduated from NYU as a film major in 1964. Catching the eye of producer Roger Corman with his 1960s student films (including co-editing Woodstock (1970)), Scorsese directed the gritty exploiter Boxcar Bertha (1972). Mean Streets (1973) followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the Scorsese style

Oliver Stone has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary film maker. His films are filled with a variety of film angles and styles, he pushes his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, and despite his failures, has always returned to success. (imdb)

Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later as the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years. He made film appearances such as in American Graffiti in 1973 and while starring in Happy Days he also made The Shootist in 1976, as well as making his directorial debut with the 1977 comedy film Grand Theft Auto...(Wikipedia)

Robert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 - November 20, 2006) was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award. His films MASH, Nashville and McCabe and Mrs. Miller have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry...(Wikipedia)

Credits include: Visions of Light, No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos, Frank Capra's American Dream, The Informer: Out of the Fog and Lost Forever

Credits include: House of Wax, The Gunfighter, Day of the Outlaw, Crime Wave and Pitfall

Credits include: Return of the Fly, Queen of Outer Space and World Without End

Credits include: Behind the Planet of the Apes, Frank Capra's American Dream, Frank Capra Jr. Remembers: It Happened One Night and Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life': A Personal Remembrance