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Step 1
Find an extras casting agency. Search in the newspapers and Yellow Pages to find casting agencies in your area. Obviously, the best places to get jobs as a background actor are in cities were movies are most frequently filmed, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. However, films shot "on location" may pop up in your town, giving you a perfect opportunity to find acting work. You can also try online extras casting companies that are credible and honest, but one must be very careful with these venues (see Warning below).
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Step 2
Register with the casting company. Most companies will charge a fee, usually $25 or more, in exchange for services such as headshots, access to casting directors, and background acting jobs. (Extras are also called background actors.) Before committing to one company, shop around and compare the fees and services of various companies to find the best one for you. Also, call the company and "interview" them. Find out how long they have been in business, which directors they have worked with and what types of people they specialize in (older people, kids, active people). This will aid you in finding the most suitable company for your skills.
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Step 3
Call the company frequently. Once you register, the company will provide you a number to call regularly to find out if there is work for you. Don't expect the company to call you first. You must be very proactive if you want work as an extra.
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Step 4
Decide whether to be a union or a non-union extra. Union extras are members of SAG (The Screen Actors Guild). They receive higher pay than non-union extras, and they receive benefits such as health care coverage. Non-union members are not paid as much, but they do not have to pay dues and receive more jobs than union members. Either route you wish to take can be successful, and neither really outweighs the other. Becoming a union member can be very difficult and whether union or non-union, the average movie extra only makes about $3,000 a year.
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Step 5
This extra step is to help those who want to try to become a union extra. If you want to become a union member, get three union vouchers or a speaking role. There are really only two ways. Every paid extra gets a pay voucher for their work. Sometimes a union extra will not show up, but the voucher for that person must still be filled. If you find this opportunity, ask to fill out the union extra's voucher. If you can do this three times, then you are a union member. Alternatively, if you are able to get a speaking role, usually only at the director's request, then you are considered an actor, not an extra, and you can enter the union.
