(Camden) May 31, 2005 - Paul Covington is not looking for his 15 minutes of fame, he's fine if he only gets one, "It's always nice to say to your friends, 'Don't blink, here I come, boom here I am."

Covington was one of many men hoping to score a role as an extra in the movie "Walker."

He's also optimistic about the state's new film industry bill packed with incentives for film makers, "I think there will be more movies, seeing that they can do it a little cheaper here."

Production crews that spend a quarter of a million dollars will be exempt from all sales and accommodation taxes under the incentives package. Tona Dahlquist with Walker Productions says $1 million projects and higher get the tax break along with rebates on wages and purchases made in the state, "It does come down to the dollars sometimes in making films and now that we have those incentives in place I don't see why we shouldn't be getting a lot more films in the state."

The director of "Walker" has said South Carolina is a great place to make a film. Dahlquist, who is doing the casting, agrees and says the places and faces of the Palmetto State make their job easy, "One thing South Carolina has is locations, beautiful locations. You can still find places that still look like the fifties and the sixties. The faces in some of these towns, they're amazing. I get calls from people in L.A. all the time stating, 'Oh my God, the faces are great and you can't find those in places like Los Angeles."

But will Covington, a Columbia native, make the cut? "The verdict is I'm gonna get fitted on Friday, that's a good sign, getting fitted means you're more than likely in."

Part of the state's plan to recruit more film projects includes building an industry infrastructure. Tax credits will be offered to companies in the state that create motion pictures and production facilities.

By Angie Goff
Updated 10:54pm by BrettWitt