The UK's new low-budget digital studio Slingshot Studios is workingwith BBC Films to co-develop and co-finance four projects in 2007 and afurther eight projects in 2008.

The projects will be shot using Slingshot's micro-budget model, with UK theatrical release through Slingshot and a TV platform on the BBC.

BBC Films and Slingshot will have teams working in tandem on development and production. If projects are greenlight by the pair, they will go into production in 12 months.

The first two projects are Stephen Prentice's The Tormented, a comedy horror about an asthmatic teenager who comes back from the dead to seek revenge with his former bullies. That is co-produced by Tracy Brimm and Kate Myers at Forward Films.

The second film is teen thriller Shadows by Ed Wiles, which is being developed with the UK Film Council's 25 Words Or Less scheme.

In its first 18 months, Slingshot has produced recently released Sugarhouse, Aschlin Ditta's French Film (in post), and Vito Rocco's Faintheart (to shoot in October).

Arvind Ethan David, Slingshot CEO said: 'This deal enhances our resources and reach: it gives our talent and projects the guarantee of a broadcast platform; and it allows us access to the extraordinary scale and scope of the BBC'.

David Thompson, head of BBC Films, added: 'We are really focused at the moment on trying to break the mould in low-budget filmmaking and Slingshot have a really brilliant take on how to do this - from early development stage right through to production. The process of filmmaking is in some respects still stuck in the dark ages in Britain and this is one way of helping to try to do something different.'