A little late to all this, but having had formal formation training and having flown in both loose and close formation, I would recommend some training before even trying to do either.
Tight formation can actually be easier once the skill set is in place. Loose formation has the added danger of losing sight of the other aircraft whilst doing a FREDA check or similar. Looking up and realising you cannot see the lead aircraft is somewhat sobering and is possible even at 300m. Everything then snowballs very quickly.