Miloš Forman – Amadeus

• Robert Benton – Places in the Heart
• Norman Jewison – A Soldier's Story
• Roland Joffé – The Killing Fields
• David Lean – A Passage to India

Thomas Carter – Hill Street Blues for "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall"

• David Anspaugh – St. Elsewhere for "Fade to White"
• Mark Tinker – St. Elsewhere for "Sweet Dreams"

Jay Sandrich – The Cosby Show for "Pilot"

• James Burrows – Cheers for "I Call Your Name"
• Bill Persky – Kate & Allie for "Landlady"

Daniel Petrie – The Dollmaker

• Robert Greenwald – The Burning Bed
• Randa Haines – Something About Amelia

Don Mischer and Twyla Tharp – Great Performances for "Baryshnikov By Tharp"

• Tony Charmoli – Olympic Gala
• Terry Jastrow – 1984 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

Joan Darling – ABC Afterschool Special for "Mom's on Strike"

• Robert Chenault – ABC Afterschool Special for "The Hero Who Couldn't Read"
• Joanna Lee – CBS Schoolbreak Special for "Hear Me Cry"

Alfred R. Kelman – The Body Human: The Journey Within

• Merrill Brockway – Great Performances for "Balanchine (Parts 1 & 2)"
• Howard Enders – Ellis Island: The Odyssey of a Dream

Sandy Grossman – Super Bowl XVIII

• Larry Kamm, Bob Lanning, and Norman Samet – Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Doug Wilson – Figure skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics

Stuart Hagmann – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' "Right Moment", IBM's "Skates", and McDonald's' "Stranger in the House"

• William Dear – Budweiser's "3D" and "Window Washers, Frontier's "Concourse of Doom", Honda's "Devo", and Bell Atlantic's "Dragnet"
• Leslie Dektor – Levi's' "Blues", John Player & Sons' "Own the Night", and NutraSweet's "Wait"
• Richard Levine – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' "Good Samaritans" and Sonecor's "Radio Telescope"
• Michael Ulick – Coca-Cola's "First Job", American Greetings' "Peace", and Kodak's "Statue of Liberty"