Hi,

I'm going to use a Sony DXC-D50 with a DSR1 back to produce a film. I know this is interlaced and 4:3, far from ideal but I don't have the choice right now, the cam is free and money will go to other areas of production, such as lighting, paying for locations etc...

I'd like to do two things in post:
1-Give the look of 24P to footage that WILL stay on video
2-Truly convert the 60i footage to NTSC 24P or should I let a lab do that if transfer to film comes down the line in the future?

Does anybody have any experience with either Magic Bullet or DVFilmmaker?
Which one do you think/know does the best job?

Also, I'll welcome any suggestion as to how to acquire compatible 16:9 footage with that 4:3 cam, other than applying a mask on the lens at the bottom and lower parts and trying to center all action within that frame.
Thanks

DVFilm Maker is faster, and does a better job at 60i -> 24p in my opinion. I would highly recommend it.

Instead of applying the mask on the camera lens, put it on the LCD monitor you're using and frame all your action for 16:9 with that. Then add the masking in post. I would do that all the time back when I had a 4:3 cam. Worked fine.