1 - If the magic impact me when I see it
2 - If it fit my character.
3 - If it is technically possible to use in my show

Basically, this is it.

IMO, your criteria don't cover anywhere near the situations that most pro's. experience, and, they are rather personal, but, perhaps, if you keep an open mind, you'll eventually broaden your thinking.

Entertainers today are using them big screens a lot. I wonder if one might use some sort of live stream to mobiles for close up. They are doing so with sports action cams today.

As Michelangelo stated: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”

BUT! friend Delimbeau! Michelangelo, before he bought the block of marble, certainly checked to be sure that the seller of the block had marked it: "SINE CERES"!

When quarried, it was sometimes discovered that the block of marble had some fine "natural" cracks. Unscrupulous dealers would fill the cracks with melted beeswax, to disguise the fault in the block, which had been so laboriously quarried.

Sculptors would have had a statue half complete only to find the wax melting, and leaving a crack, perhaps in the face of the statue.

Michelangelo was a talented artist! I've seen his "Pieta", and, his "David", in Italy. He would not have begun either of those masterpieces without checking for "ceres"!!!

Honest dealers would inscribe "Sine Ceres" (without wax) on a block of marble that had not been "doctored".

From "sine" (without) "ceres" (wax) we "get" the English word "sincere".

So, friend Fazzio, I submit that your criteria is not specific enough. You list your occupation as, professional magician. Unless you are a "second Joe Duninger, you will find it necessary to accept dates that that will present various physical "challenges" that can make performing a trick (I consider mental material to be a trick) difficult, or even impossible.

When I began performing paid dates, as a part time pro'., 70 years ago, I realized that it would be foolish to invest time, and money, in developing a presentation for a trick, which didn't meet my criteria. When I became a full time pro'., 50 years ago, those criteria became even more important.

Dick, of course you're right on selecting the block But I liked the general metaphor.

I own a beautiful marble sculpture of a crumpled sheet of paper, like this one: http://tinyurl.com/zbwwnvk

The artist (Kim de Ruysscher) sometimes spends weeks of studying potentially usable block of marble for his projects. For a long time he lived in Carrara (THE marble city) to study the material.

I was very much fascinated by his perfectionism. He creates beautiful stuff.

Luc.

Hey Luc!

Yes! I've used that metaphor a half gezillion times, too! I just thought that I would add the "sine ceres" note, to point out how particular those sculptors had to be "in them days"!

Of course, I was particularly interested in stressing to Fazzio that, his criteria was not specific enough for a working professional. "My" criteria helped keep me working for 50 years!

Selecting magic for me comes from practical and artistic considerations and since Dick has covered mostly the practical aspect of things I'll spend my time on the artistic side.

From the artistic point of view I usually have a rough narrative in my head as to what I won't my performance to be. To Illustrate as of recently I have been thinking of creating a act based off the 1994 movie Maverick starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner.

Essentially the story is set in the American Wild West by a wisecracking gambler Bret Maverick (Mel Gibson) of his misadventures on the way to a major five-card draw poker tournament. Besides wanting to win the tournament for the prize money, he also wants to prove, once and for all, that he is the best card player of his time.

Now watching the movie there are heaps of sources of routine inspiration that could not only lend itself to presentation themes but also magic selection.

For instance there’s a moment in the film where Mel Gibson sets a deck of cards down, closes his eyes and concentrates real hard. In a voiceover, he says:

“Ever since I was a kid, I believed I had a gift. That if I thought hard enough about a card I’d be able to cut straight to it. Of course my old pappy always said I was a *** fool, but I knew if I really believed, and made it happen, well than that would be nothing short of magic.”

When the finale comes around Mel must do exactly that; focus real hard and hope against hope he’s able to pull a certain card from a deck of fifty-two, with everything on the line. The money. The girl. His life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabqKVmY......pY#t=194

Now if I wanted to make a card act and find magic using this part of the movie as inspiration then I would be looking at cutting location tricks.

One that immediately springs to mind is "Spectator Cuts the aces" where I would explain the above moment to my audience and offer the exception of four chances rather then one to my audience in trying to achieve that same thing.

If however if I wanted to stay aesthetically true to the movie then maybe then "The Force That Couldn't be Done" out of Annemanns Card magic book would be more appropriate for the circumstances.

Another scene in the movie is where Mels character meets Jodie Foster for the first time in a saloon and trying to enter a poker game he his met with resistance from one of the players at the table who would rather he not play. In order for him to gain acceptance into the game he offers to lose for one hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrUOD4i8......qKVmYupY

To recreate such a thing I would look at maybe selecting a 10 card poker deal where things seem free and fair but yet my fortunes seem to change at anytime on my pronouncement. Maybe I could say that I will lose the first three hands and win the next two etc.

So by thinking ahead about how you want your act to be can sometimes suggest what magic to perform.

Magically

Aus

My website can be reached, Dick. There was a typo in the profile link, but the signature link was sound. I've changed my site recently, though, so you won't see a lot of the criteria you're likely looking for. I've trained professionally as a performer and I've worked professionally as a magician. There are plenty of folks here who are aware of that about me.

This was the OP's question: "How do you choose what magic to perform?"
You seem to have a need to declare me something other than a professional, because you didn't like my answer, Dick. It didn't fit your experience. Perhaps that's because I answered for my own experience, which, despite your claims to the contrary, you appear to be attempting to invalidate. Yet, Whit posts an answer very much in keeping with my own, and you respect that. I respect Whit, too. He's encouraged me and influenced some of my own perspective in magic and performance, imagine.

There are people who have something to say and some of those people have been taught to say it in a few words. I tend to cite other sources to back up my statements. I was taught to do so. The dictionary definition covered the fact that I know what performance is about, Dick- entertaining an audience. You had implied I was interested more in entertaining myself, simply because I choose material that I like. The material I choose, for the record, is classic material and material created by well respected pros who apparently like it and also use it to entertain an audience.

Though you dislike the dictionary, defining terms is relevant to discussion, so I feel obliged to add: "pro·fes·sion·al
/prəˈfeSH(ə)n(ə)l/

noun
1.
a person engaged or qualified in a profession."

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chr......finition

Good for you Laurie.
You hit the nail on the head again!
Bullseye
Dick also demeaned my opinion because I am a retired chemist and a hobbyist therefore my opinion of what I like to perform is invalid.

I said what I said, and I standby every word that I said. You, LAURIE, AND IHOP are entitled to your own opinions.