THEIR VIEWS

Lights, camera, action

Everyone likes a good movie, and at least one South Carolina legislator wants to keep the reels rolling on the production end.

The anticipated resurgence of filmmaking in South Carolina hasn't emerged as some thought following the Hollywood writers' strike. State House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, wants to entice the industry by expanding wage rebates for instate and out-of-state workers and to create an apprenticeship program for residents to gain experience in the industry. ...

We agree with the governor's office that it doesn't make a lot of sense to offer huge incentives to hire people from outside the state. If anyone needs a break, it would be South Carolinians. ...

The legislature has offered some illadvised incentives in recent years to wellheeled companies that some South Carolinians don't embrace. ...

Harrell's ideas about creating crews and a supplier base are on target, and we would hope the filmmakers would hire them.

Creating a competitive edge is difficult, and it must have the right balance of incentives. Other states also are on the trail of the entertainment industry business. Everyone wants to create jobs, but lawmakers should take a close look at the return.

The Beaufort Gazette

Welcome to the Upstate

Tourism is South Carolina's No. 1 industry, and it's only fitting the Upstate do what it can to increase its share of that pie. Those efforts include a planned ad campaign that would be aired on the Golf Channel during the BMW Charity Pro-Am, and are aided by the Upstate's prominent mention in a South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism advertising campaign aimed at tourists from Chicago.

These are both worthy efforts that will help position the Upstate as a quality vacation destination and a great place to live. Our state already is wildly popular among tourists from all over the nation, although many tourism dollars stay at the coast. And this state is recognized as a great place for families to relocate. ...

Our state is known nationwide as a tourism destination and a great place to live and work. There's no reason that the Upstate cannot continue to build its stake in our state's No. 1 industry, and there's no reason the Upstate shouldn't use its already plentiful assets to bring people here so they, too, can be ''blown away'' by what the area has to offer.

All of us who live and work in the Upstate know what a wonderful place it is. To capitalize on that, all we need to do is tell the rest of the world.

The Greenville News