With enough hard work, dedication and passion anything is possible. Two former Salukis can vouch for that.

Movie director David Fincher’s latest project, “Gone Girl,” was released on October third. Two former SIU students worked on its production.

Aaron Mager, 27 from Columbia, worked as a general personal assistant and then moved to the camera department and Jack Piatt, 38 from Eaton, Ohio, was an assistant to the art department.

The two worked out of Cape Girardeau, Mo., where some of the movie’s scenes were shot.

Mager was working on his bachelor’s in cinema and photography at Southern Illinois University when he got a call from Piat saying he’d gotten him a job on the movie.

He started his filmmaking career at a young age with a few friends way before getting any classroom experience.

“We had a video class in high school,” Mager said. “But it was just ok. It was kind of more around photojournalism.”

Before attending the university, Mager joined the Navy as a combat photographer. After finding himself based on a ship in San Diego, he decided he wanted to go to college.

Mager said there were several factors that went into choosing SIU, including being close to family, Illinois’ veteran educational benefits and SIU’s film program.

“I decided Los Angeles could wait,” Mager said. “I would be in Los Angeles eventually and this would probably be the last chance to be around my family.”

Mager hopped on any opportunity he could find once he came to Carbondale. He started a group with a few people at the college dedicated to producing films—which would later become known as the Movie Camera Miltia.

Last year, Mager said he had heard that Piatt, had received a job working on a flim production called “Gone Girl.” During a week of pre-production, Piatt met with Mager and told him he would try and get him a job working on the film.

After a period of time where he heard nothing, Piatt reached out to Mager.

“I asked him if I could start tomorrow,” he said. “ Even with a job and just starting classes, I still decided to go off. These chances do not happen a lot.”

After working things out with his professors, Mager headed to Cape Girardeau. He began as a production assistant and did tasks like answering the phones, getting coffee and making copies, nothing glorious, he said.

Mager said soon after the camera department was looking for an assistant and he found a chance to move up. He then held the title of assistant, and got to work with the camera. He was in the thick of things, he said.

“It was incredible to watch it all,” Mager said. “ I took a lot of notes and made sure I was always watching. Always learning.”

Piatt’s journey began in 2000, when he came to the university after leaving the military. He was a sergeant in the Army, the 85th airborne division. He majored in advertisement and worked at the DAILY EGYPTIAN. In 2004, he graduated with a degree in journalism.

After graduation, he worked at the Denver Post and then went to Los Angeles to work for five years as a general manager of a nightclub/ restaurant, before deciding to go back to SIU for graduate school. While in graduate school, Piatt majored in professional media management. He also worked with MCM.

He heard about a job in Missouri while looking for work. The job turned out to be “Gone Girl.” He considered staying at SIU a little bit longer, until he heard it was a David Fincher film. He took the job soon after.

“There is no supplement for actual experience,” he said.

Piatt worked in the art department as an assistant, where he worked closely with Fincher himself.

“Fincher is one of the most meticulous directors out there,” Piatt said. “ He is 100 percent about perfection in his film and is unapologetic about it.”

Fincher’s work is something both Piatt and Mager can agree on.

“There are two kinds of directors out there,” Mager said. “The kind who are experts at the writing and acting side of film, and the kind who are experts with everything dealing with the camera. Fincher was both.”

Piatt said Fincher is the type who works all day and edits all night.

He said he learned a lot by watching Fincher work.

“Working on “Gone Girl” was a crash course in filmmaking,” Piatt said. “Without my experience on Gone Girl, I wouldn’t be ready for my own film.”

Mager said the crew was very professional. He asked questions about every aspect of filmmaking, he said.

Although Piatt said dreams should come first, he was clear about the need for college.

“College teaches you a lot of things,” Piatt said. “College teaches time management, being dedicated to something and social skills. There are more than just the creative aspects of film.”

Mager had his own set of advice to anyone wanting to be a filmmaker.

“Stop wishing and start doing,” Mager said. “Do your own stuff. Studios are not going to be knocking at your door.”

Mager is currently working on many different projects, a few he could not talk about. He has worked on Jonathan Nolan’s “Westworld” and Vince Gilligan’s “Battle Creek,” along with a Samsung commercial and “Drunk History” on Funny or Die’s Youtube channel.

Piatt has worked on Seth Rogan’s “The Interview” and the new Coen Brothers film, “Hail, Ceaser.” He will also be directing his first film in the spring called “Conversations With(out) You,” a film he wrote in graduate school. He also owns a production company named Moxie Mill Movies.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @JacobPierce1_DE or at 536-3311 ext. 273