Prepare your acting resume. Include contact information, physical characteristics (height, weight, hair color, eye color, age), past acting roles, training you've received and special skills that you've developed. If you haven't had any acting experience, focus on skills such as playing a particular sport, riding a motorcycle, juggling or dancing.
Hire a professional photographer and get a headshot, or find a recent photograph that focuses on your face. The photograph should be clear and current -- after looking at it, a person should be able to identify your face in a crowd. Upload your photograph to your computer so you can send it out with your resume.
Organize your wardrobe. If you're called in for an extra role, you'll have to provide your own clothes, so take inventory so you're not scrambling to find clothes the night before a shoot.
Check classified ads in your local newspaper and online ads through sites like Craigslist. Send your resume and headshot to productions seeking extras. Focus on productions that require specialized skills in areas in which you're qualified.
Submit your headshot and resume to local casting agencies that specialize in finding work for extras. Some will notify you about gigs, others expect you to routinely call in and ask about available work.
Inquire with the local film office about productions being shot in your area. Contact the production company and ask if they are hiring extras. If they are, submit your resume and headshot to the appropriate person.
Network with people who have worked as extras. They may have access to information about current and upcoming productions. Ask them who to contact and where to submit your information.
Join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), once you're eligible. To become eligible as an extra, work three days on a SAG project at union rates under union working conditions. It's easier to obtain auditions for speaking roles once you've joined SAG, or you can continue to work as an extra.