COLUMBIA, S.C. - A restructured and reformed Commerce Department will save more than $2.3 million in staff cuts alone next fiscal year, agency chief Bob Faith says.

Faith told Gov. Mark Sanford during a budget hearing Wednesday that it has reduced staff 26 percent and completely reorganized, going from 14 divisions to four.

Sanford praised the department's changes, saying it was a model for other state agencies. But, like most of the budget hearings, Sanford wanted to know what could be done better.

"What else can we do to enhance the film office in South Carolina?" Sanford asked.

Faith said he didn't have a firm strategy for the film office like he did for other divisions, but said the agency was discussing ideas on how to improve the office that caters to small independent moviemakers.

The agency also may try to work with the Small Business Administration and local banks to help borrow money to secure movie rights deals, Faith said. Vacant buildings could also be turned into studios and the state could offer tax-credits to entice more film industry, he said.

But the meeting wasn't all glitz and glamour. Sanford's chief of staff Fred Carter wanted Faith's opinion on the technical college system, and its "divergent" mission of offering associate degrees and more hands-on related degrees.

Faith said the interaction with the technical college program was a "big part" of recruiting industry. He said the technical colleges offer a venue to move on to four-year colleges.

But Faith was concerned about the image of the tech colleges. He said many parents and students think they are inferior to four-year universities.