hi, i am trying to get the movie look. do i, should i, can i, change my gl2 to 24p? im pretty new at this so im not sure if thats what i need to do. thanks

No. The GL2 can only record at 60i.

But you should note that getting the "movie look" is mostly about careful and deliberate photography and sound. Light well, learn how to use the camera's facilities, compose your shots well, forget you have a zoom control while recording, and plan your shots thoughtfully. That will produce most of the look you probably seek.

Of course Ken is right. Since you say that you're "new at this" then I suggest you heed his advice. But just to answer your question from a technical standpoint, there are software packages which can approximate 24p from 60i footage. One of them is DVFilm Maker (http://www.dvfilm.com/maker).

The closest the GL2 will come to this is the frame mode. This is a
semi-progressive mode that gives you 30p (emulated). But Ken's
points are top notch, focus on story, editing, lighting, framing,
sound and acting first!

what does the 16:9 option do? I changed it and now the picture in the view finder is taller(meaning things are stretch up) whats the advantage of that? I'm trying to make the "film look" for these extream sports videos i make. Also i have the boom mic from canon accesories, is that a good mic? Thanks for your help again!

Matt,
Regarding 16:9 mode, spend time with your camera manual. You can also Search (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=461088&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) for more information here.

would one recommend keeping the GL2 on regular mode (NON FRAME MODE) at 60i and stick to great shots and later in post production deal with the film look? or woud you recommend the FRAME MODE?

also why do you mention to avoid or forget about having a Zoom control?

Joe, I reccomend you to shot in normal mode. Off course, there are some benefits of Frame mode which can come handy, but for start stick to normal mode and experiment with look in post.

I would also, like Ken, reccomend you to forget zooming while shooting. Use zoom for recomposing the shot. IMO zooming while shooting can sometimes be very annoying for viewer and can also give an ammateurish look to your footage.