Although Linklater had referred to the project as "Boyhood" during the early years of production, in 2013 he settled on the title "12 Years", but was forced to rename it due to the release of "12 Years a Slave" in the same year. In consideration of the possibility that the actors' circumstances or availability might change over the extended period of production, Linklater also had observed that the film potentially could also have been named "Motherhood", "Fatherhood", etc. Hawke was amazed that the producers "still had their job" at the film's completion, despite "(having) to hide a couple hundred thousand dollars a year for over a decade while we slowly made this movie". Despite the risks, Linklater was allowed an unusual level of freedom with the production, never having to show IFC the work as it progressed.