I'm Morten Rougne
- Story Architect
I make ideas become stories.
From the crude sketch to a well put together story there's a path of discovery and construction in equal parts. That is where I work.
THE SHORT VERSION
For about twenty years I've worked across animation, film, screenwriting, game design, illustration and comics. Different crafts, same question every time: what is this story actually made of?
Today I help teams and creators find the structure under their idea, and I build original worlds of my own.
This studio is where both happen.
IMAGE TO STORY
My background is in computer animation. Much of my working life has involved thinking through images; what a character’s expression tells us, where to place the camera, what to reveal and when.
Directing episodes of City of Friends, supervising the Mushroom Monster short film, and working on dozens of animated commercials gave me practical experience in turning ideas into scenes and helping a team carry them through.
That experience follows me into my writing. I often see a moment before I fully understand the story around it. A character in trouble. A strange discovery. An image that raises a question. Working out why it matters is part of what keeps me at the desk.
I’m drawn to science fiction, mystery and folklore, as well as stories for children. I’m interested in the choices people make under pressure, what they hold on to, and what those choices cost them.
FROM SPARK TO FIRE
Rougne Story Studio is my personal workbench for this work.
Here, I’m developing fiction and story concepts, sharing finished stories, and gradually opening up more of the process behind them. I’m also exploring how stories influence the way we understand ourselves and the world.
My approach moves from the first spark towards the larger shape of a story, then into chapters, scenes and prose. I like having a direction while leaving room for discoveries along the way. Sometimes a character or an unexpected connection gives me a better answer than the one I started with.
My last name is pronounced "ROG-neh". That's how you say it in Norwegian. I live in Askøy, on the west coast of Norway, with my wife and our three children. The studio is growing alongside family life, one piece of work at a time.
If a story connects with you, or you have a project you’d like to discuss, I’d love to hear from you.